


blink (reality shivers)

by SparkleMoose



Series: Royal Bastard AU [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Has Been Set On Fire And Left To Die In An Alley, Complicated Relationships, Drama, Espionage, Eventual Romance, Families of Choice, Family Drama, Family Reunions, Family Secrets, Fantasy Magic Based Off IRL Witchcraft, Galadhian Culture & Customs, I've been plotting this shit out for AGES, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Politics, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Refugees, Royal Bastard AU, Slow Burn, War, like so much world building I want to Die, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-04-25 18:10:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14384217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkleMoose/pseuds/SparkleMoose
Summary: Ace didn't want to remember his past life. But when a word triggers an avalanche of memories he has no choice but to accept a hard truth. It's not like Ace meant to be reborn as King Regis's bastard but he was and that means sooner or later, he's going to have to make choices he had never thought he would be forced to make.Through it all, if he can remain the friend of Libertus and Nyx, well, that's a bonus.





	1. Prologue: Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright (In The Forest Of The Night)

_ To blaze is also to burn. _

 

****Margaret Atwood, A Blazed Trail** **

 

* * *

  
  
  


There are things Ace should not remember. He should not remember the emptiness of the death. The chilling frost that danced over his skin despite the layers of blankets on top of him. He should not remember the fading, the transition from life to death as a slow, steady thing that brought him peace in his final moments. He had died alone in his room of a disease there was no cure for.

 

It’s difficult to cure an illness that cropped up unexpectedly only a few months before Ace, and millions of others, had died from it. It was a new plague, no one could figure out where it came from or what they could do to stop it. Some theorized that it was merely a more advanced, more deadly version of the flu. Ace hadn’t cared for theories, all he cared about was the fact that he was going to be quarantined so he didn’t infect others. 

 

All he had cared about was the fact he was dying.

 

Strange how quickly those memories can come back when it’s called for. All it took for Ace to freeze was his Aunt to ask his mother if she is going to take him to Insomnia.

 

Insomnia. A single word in reference to a city causes a lifetime's worth of memories to flood his mind. Ace remembers a game about light and darkness, healing, and sickness. Ace remembers a different life than the one he has now and he remembers being sick and dying.

 

Ace’s heartbeat sounds loud against his ears and he panics.

 

* * *

 

In his defense, Ace doesn’t mean to set the table on fire. 

 

It just happens because he remembers what it feels like to die and-

 

Well, now the tables on fire. It causes a bit of a commotion, his mother snatches him from his spot on the living room couch and pulls him to her chest as if blocking the table from his sight will stop the fire. His aunt, ever more practical than her sister, runs for a bucket of water.

 

Once the fire is out, Ace pushes himself free of his mother’s grip and stares at the scorch marks on the table. He did that, he set the table aflame without a lighter or match. He caused a fire without even thinking about it. All he had done was panic and whatever was in him responded.

 

“Holy fuck,” Ace wheezes, somewhere between hysterics and lethargy, “Holy fuck.”

 

His mother gives him a disapproving look. “Language,” she says. 

 

His aunt chortles, “Let the boy swear,” she says, waving a hand, “He just found out he has magic after all.”

 

Ace makes a low noise of despair. He doesn’t want magic, he doesn’t want magic because if he’s newfound memories aren’t lying to him then magic is a sign of the royal family and that means that even if he’s a bastard he’s still royalty.

 

At this point, Ace wants the ground to swallow him whole.

 

The ground beneath them shakes. Ace feels his eyes widen and shuts that train of thought down immediately. The shaking stops and his mother breathes a sigh of relief.

 

“Mom,” Ace says slowly, “Mom, please tell me you didn’t have sex with the king.”

 

“She didn’t have sex with the king,” his Aunt Carly pipes in. Ace’s mother, Katrina, glares at her sister.

 

That’s all the answer Ace needs.

 

Ace doesn’t swear again, but it’s an effort on his part, his body is only nine after all and he shouldn’t be able to think of half the expletives currently running through his head. Instead, he gives his mother the most despairing look he can muster. His mother’s eyes dart around nervously, she shifts awkwardly on her feet.

 

Aunt Carly cackles.

 

Katrina coughs into her hand and finally looks her son in the face.

 

Ace stares up at her expectantly.

 

“I really think you’re too young for this conversation,” she says.

 

Ace crosses his arms. “I’m nine,” Twenty-nine, he amends in his head, “I can handle it. Is King Regis my father or not?”

 

“It was a one-night affair-”

 

“So that’s a yes.”

 

Katrina sighs. There’s a pause before she nods. “Yes, dear.”

 

“Ah,” Ace says. Fuck, he thinks.

 

“Fuck,” Carly says. At both Katrina’s and Ace’s stares she adds, “Please, we all know the boy was thinking it.”

 

* * *

 

The next day Ace ventures from his house to the spot where he usually meets Libertus and Nyx by the river. The other boys are only a year older than Ace and when the three of them had met last year at a festival honoring Ramuh. Ace and Libertus had had the honor of singing at the festival and the two of them had hit it off almost immediately.

 

Libertus isn’t afraid to tease Ace back and call him out on his bullshit. While Ace will never admit that it’s refreshing to have someone as blunt as Libertus around it does bring him a certain type of joy when they banter.

 

Libertus introduced Ace to Nyx and while it had taken a while for them to warm up to one another the two are now close friends. Nyx may be more serious than Libertus but while Libertus is a breath of fresh air Nyx is more like being doused in cold water. Nyx is a wake-up call, someone that makes you want to do something, to be someone better and while they are all stupidly young still Ace knows that Nyx will go far.

 

He thought that before he gained memories of the future, and now that he knows what’s going to happen to his two closest friends he doesn’t know what to think. He wants to help them, to get them through what’s to come alive.

 

He has no idea how to do that. Sure, he has magic, but he has no idea how to use it. He has less of an idea of what his mother and aunt are going to do now that he knows about his magic. Are they going to take him to Insomnia? Try to get him to parade around the Citadel like a prince? Ace frowns at the thought, kicking some dirt into the clear river water below. He knows his aunt used to be in the Crownsguard, could she perhaps teach him how to use magic? She must know something about it.

 

If his aunt does know enough about magic to teach him then maybe there’ll be no reason for him to go to Insomnia and he can remain the King’s unknown bastard. He wouldn’t mind that. Especially since being Regis’s bastard means that he’s Noctis’s older brother.

 

Fuck. He hasn’t thought of that. Noctis is his younger half-brother. What the fuck is he supposed to do about his life now? His half-brother is part of a prophecy, his half-brother is going to be a king.

 

Ace almost swears again. He doesn’t feel anything for his half-brother, hell, he’s never even met Noctis, but something in Ace’s gut tells him that his connection to Noctis is going to cause trouble for him in the future.

 

Then there’s Ardyn to consider, the war with Niflheim to worry about, and the attack on Galahd he has to pull his hair out about. If memory serves him correctly than he has at least a few more years before that attack takes place but if that memory is accurate than it’s less of an attack and more of a massacre.

 

He has to keep his family and friends safe. At the moment Ace only cares about helping his family and friends survive, after all, Imperial forces enforce strict laws and breaking one of them can result in assault or imprisonment and Ace is determined to not lose anyone.

 

The frown on Ace’s face deepens as he runs over the plans forming in his head. He isn’t going to go to Insomnia, that much is certain, if his mother and aunt want him to go he will do everything in his power to get out of it. Ace would also like to pack up all those precious to him and leave Galahd before the attack that kills Nyx’s family takes place but he has no idea when that will happen so making any plans regarding that is useless.

 

Chewing his bottom lip, Ace loses himself in thoughts when someone’s warm hands push gently on his back.

 

That’s all that it takes for Ace to lose his balance and fall into the river. The last thing he hears before he falls into the water is Libertus laughing. Ace can almost see Nyx rolling his eyes at them. 

 

The thought of his friends banishes the foul mood Ace is in. He pictures Nyx and Libertus on the shore with smiles on their faces and a certain type of childish joy overcomes him.

 

Spluttering, Ace surfaces with a grin on his face despite the narrowing of his eyes.

 

“You jerk,” Ace laughs, moving a strand of black hair out of his face. His eyes are bright with unabashed joy at the sight of the grins on his friend's faces, “You’re terrible.”

 

“Aw, come on Ace,” Libertus jeers, “You were looking so serious, I figured I had to do something to cheer you up.”

 

The reminder of his previous train of thought causes Ace’s grin to falter. Nyx catches on quick.

 

“Something bothering you, Ace?” Nyx asks, a slight frown tugging at his lips, “You seemed out of it when we got here.”

 

Ace frowns, he doesn’t think he should tell them about who his father is but that doesn’t mean that he can’t share at least some details with them.

 

Ace may trust his two friends, but they are still children, and Ace doesn’t trust children not to let something slip.

 

“It’s my dad,” Ace confesses, looking anywhere but at his friends, “Mom finally told me about him. Turns out he’s some big shot over in Insomnia. Mom and Aunt Carly are thinking of moving us there.” Finally looking back at his friends, he’s not unsurprised to see them frowning as well.

 

Finally, Nyx breaks the silence. "That's good, right? I mean, you'd get to meet your dad."

 

Libertus snorts. "His dad's a stranger, Nyx. The hell would he want to meet him for?"

 

"Lib has a point," Ace agrees, "I know nothing about him-" a lie, but a small one at least, "- for all, I know he could be a complete deadbeat and then would my family be?"

 

"You have a point," Nyx says, nodding, yet still seeming unsure, "Why do they want to move?"

 

Ace shrugs. "I have no idea." Another lie, but he can't just tell his friends that he has magic now can he?

 

"Well, I think you should stay right here," Libertus announces, "We've got everything!"

 

"We have fish and jungle, Lib," Ace says.

 

"Exactly, we have everything."

 

Nyx rolls his eyes. "Think you can talk your family into staying?" There's a note of hope in his voice, and it makes Ace feel warm to hear it.

 

He has people that care about him here, he has friends, he has a home, and family. He can't just leave. Not when his heart lies with those closest to him. Even if they grow apart as they get older, Ace doesn't think he would regret staying in Galadh.

 

"Yeah," Ace says, his voice soft with warmth, "I think I can."

 

The smiles Libertus and Nyx give him are blinding.


	2. The Kingdom of God Is Within You (Because You Ate It)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys can blame hamelin-born on tumblr for this next chapter being so long and arriving so soon. talking with them has sent this muse into overdrive.
> 
> also, the ffxv timeline is a mess.
> 
> *construction worker voice* i will take a hammer and FIX the timeline.

In the end, all Ace has to do to convince his mom to stay in Galahd is to point out that living as a prince would endanger his life and that Aunt Carly could teach him how to fight. Ace still has no idea what he’s going to do about the future, but the idea of learning how to use magic gives him a sliver of hope he didn’t know he needed.

 

The next day, Ace wakes up at dawn, a new routine he’s going to have to get used to, and follows his aunt and mother to a secluded clearing almost a mile from their village. The trek through the jungle isn’t that dangerous during the day, still, it doesn’t stop Carly from bringing her sword with her in case anything attacks.

 

The shadows of the jungle are long, and Ace is reminded of the legends of the Just Judge, a towering figure that wanders the jungle at night. They say his head is a plume of smoke and that his armor is darker than night. They say that he’s one of Ramuh’s Messenger's, and that should you run into him and your soul is not deemed worthy he will strike you down where you stand. 

 

Ace wonders about the validity of this myth as his eyes dart to the canopy above them. It’s easy to see why such a myth would gain popularity. The jungle is dark, only a little light slips through the heavy canopy and the noise of jungle beasts serve to make the jungle eerier.

 

Katrina places a comforting hand on Ace’s shoulder. “It’ll be alright,” she reassures her son, “There is nothing to fear during the day.”

 

“Expect Coeurls and other things that want to eat us,” Carly quips. Ace scoffs and Katrina rolls her eyes.

 

“But there aren’t any daemons,” Katrina points out.

 

“There aren’t any daemons,” Carly agrees, stepping into the clearing. Ace and his mother follow her into the clearing, Katrina immediately finding a fallen log on the far edge of the clearing to sit on. Ace stands in the middle of the clearing awkwardly, unsure as to what he should be doing.

 

Carly sets her sword on the ground as she moves to sit. Once she’s comfortable she motions for Ace to do the same. Ace lowers himself to the ground and arranges himself to he’s sitting with his legs crossed. Curious, he stares at his aunt with wide eyes.

 

He has absolutely no idea where any of this is going.

 

His aunt, in no uncertain terms, tells Ace they’ll be doing something that Ace is certain he’ll be terrible at.

 

“We’ll be meditating today,” Carly tells him, and stifles a laugh as Ace groans, “There, there, I’m sure even your horrible attention span can manage to sit still and meditate for five minutes.”

 

Ace doubts it, meditation, staying still, was never one of his strong suits, even in his past life he was always fidgeting in classrooms. In Galahd they do have school buildings but most had destroyed by Niflheim when the Wall fell. As such, most children have an informal education or are taught in groups by kind-hearted adults who insist on giving the next generation everything they need to survive.

 

Ace’s town does have a school building, but it ’s in ruins. As such most kids are taught by their own parents and the friends of their parents. Galahdians were already community oriented and the destruction of their school buildings and the need to provide the best for their kids have only deepened the bond between neighbours.

 

The few schools Galahd does have left are taught by teachers stationed there by the government. Very few people in Galahd are pleased about this, even those that sent their children to those schools do so out of fear of retaliation. All the adults Ace knows of scoff at the Imperial schools, saying they teach nothing but propaganda about what happened after the Wall fell.

 

Ace knows his history and doesn’t doubt that the Imperial Schools do teach an alarming amount of pro-Niflheim propaganda. After all, the schools are likely looking to instill a sense of loyalty to the Empire in their students.

 

Ace is forever grateful that there isn’t one of those schools in his town. Instead, Libertus, Nyx, and Ace are taught together by their parents and other family members. Each of them learns in different ways and because of the fact, their families are just teaching the three of them and whatever other children might come by their teacher spend enough time with each of them to ensure all of them understand what is being said before moving on.

 

Ace is a faster learner in this life than he was in the past, but one thing has remained the same.

 

He still fucking hates math.

 

Scrunching his nose, Ace copies his Aunt and closes his eyes. He thinks that this will be like the meditation books he was recommended in his former life. His therapist had talked to him about mindfulness and Six it had been annoying. It had been about quietness and introspection, about not moving or focusing, just letting everything be.

 

Ace had hated it.

 

But his aunt starts talking and Ace, curious as he is, listens.

 

“Focus,” Carly instructs, “You’re looking for something, a strand of light, a feeling that tugs at your gut. You’re looking for something wild and untamed and it’s your job to seek to control it.”

 

There are no instructions for Ace not to move so he does, he rubs his fingers on the palm of his hand as his breathing evens out. He’s looking for something and as vague as the description Carly gave him is a part of him gets it.

 

Ace remembers the feeling that started the fire, the bone-deep panic he had felt at the thought of going to Insomnia. He remembers the feeling of being weightless right before the fire had started, as though something had been flowing through him. He feels a tugging sensation somewhere deep inside him and he follows it.

 

With his eyes closed, he’s oblivious to the soft, purple, glow that he emits. He doesn’t see his mother stare at him with teary eyes, nor does he notice how the jungle goes silent as the glow around him becomes brighter. Ace’s only focus is on following the nagging feeling in his gut.

 

For a moment, everything goes black and Ace can no longer feel his fingers rubbing themselves against his palm, he can no longer move his eyelids to open them. It’s as though he’s paralyzed and a breath of panic almost overtakes him before he realizes that there’s light.

 

Everywhere he looks, everything is bathed in purple. He can see his mother and his aunt without opening his eyes. He can see that they’re watching him closely and Ace knows that he hasn’t opened his eyes yet but he can still see them.

 

The two women are surrounded by a soft, green, glow, almost mirroring the glow that the trees around him give and Ace can make out the beads in his Aunt’s braids. The frown on her lip and the way she turns to speak to his mother. He can make out his mother’s dress, yellow as the sun and seeming brighter than it is with the glow that surrounds her. It’s as though everything has been magnified, he can see, feel, the bugs on the trees. He knows somewhere deep in his gut that there’s a Coeurl prowling through the underbrush three kilometers from where they are. He can feel the land in his bones and it’s exhilarating. 

 

The trees, tall enough to block out most light, give off a stronger, brighter, greener, glow than his mother and aunt do. Yet it still feels as though the land is connected to its people. As though the land itself would rise up if called to defend its people. It feels as if Ace reached out far enough he could command the tides and raise a storm. As though as long as Ace put intent and power behind his wish he could bring down a storm on the heads of his enemies.

 

It’s terrifying, he realizes, being able to hold that much power in the palms of his hands. It’s terrifying and awe-inspiring that the land itself would yield to him, would let him bring fire and rage crashing down on the heads of those who would dare harm what is his.

 

Ace can see the edges of royal purple surrounding what acts as his body in this place and looking down he can see how it blends into the land. Purple fades to blue which fades to green, connecting Ace to the land around him.

 

For a moment, he swears he can feel the land beneath him move, pumping like a heartbeat.

 

It stops as quickly as it started.

 

“Ace,” his Aunt says, voice soft but serious and breaking through the veil that separates them, “I need you to listen to me. Nothing is going to harm you. Nothing will happen unless you  _ will  _ it to happen.” Ace latches onto the voice, finding comfort in its familiarity, “Now, I want you to take your hands, and try to force the light, not the light of the land or people but your light, into a ball. Can you do that for me, Ace?”

 

Unaware of what is happening to his body, he lets out a shaky breath and does as his Aunt tells him.

 

At least, he tries. Trying to gather up his energy, trying to separate himself from the land is harder than he thought it would be. It’s as though the land doesn’t want him to leave, as though it’s urging him to stay with it, to let it lend him it’s power. It’s as if the land recognizes that Ace is one of its own and wants him to stay.

 

Unbidden, images of the crimes committed against Galahdians under Niflheim rule. Scenes of violence force themselves into his mind, depicting men and women of all ages being beaten and being forced from their homes. Ace sees people buried under rubble from bombings and battlefields where his people fight for their home despite the force stacked against them.

 

Ace sees war in all it’s untamed, gruesome horror. Ace sees orphans and widows and people dying in the dirt and feels bile rise in his throat. Then he sees Nyx, five years old and staring into the face of a Niflheim soldier that aims to strike him down, everything in Ace screams for him to help his friend, to protect, but before he can do anything a figure appears, dressed in black with and smoking from the aftermath of a warp.

 

Logically, he knows that his father, that King Regis saved Nyx’s life. Logically, he knows that Nyx survives. That Nyx is safe.

 

That doesn’t stop the bone-deep relief he feels as he watches a soldier cart Nyx away from the battlefield as Regis cuts down the soldier that almost took Nyx’s life. If the soldier is dead then that means they can’t hurt Nyx. It means that Nyx is safe.

 

The scene changes, shifts to Libertus crammed into a corner in his basement as debris falls around him. The fear in his eyes causes something in Ace’s heart to lurch. He wants to make sure that nothing happens to Libertus, yet deep in his gut, he knows that that’s impossible, just as he knows he can’t prevent what happens next.

 

A portion of the ceiling collapses, nothing lands on Libertus thankfully, but it falls in such a way that it traps the five-year-old where he is. Libertus screams and Ace never wants to hear that sound again.

 

Libertus had told Nyx and Ace that he is scared of being buried alive. Neither of them had thought to ask why.

 

_ Enough, _ he thinks desperation coating his thoughts, _ Enough.  _ His plea falls on unhearing ears and a surge of primal panic forces his next actions.

 

Ace grabs at the purple light, at the light that belongs to him, not to the land or anybody else, he grabs at it and forces it into an orb-like shape.

 

Into containment.

 

With a gasp, Ace’s eyes jerk open and he throws himself on his hands and knees just in time to vomit on the ground.

 

There’s movement around him as he dry heaves, his aunt is on his left side hold his hair out of the way while his mother is on his right, rubbing what should be soothing circles on his back. Normally, Ace would take comfort in his mother’s presence, but the circular motions she makes on his back seem electric and he hates it.

 

Ace doesn’t have the words to speak, to tell his family that they are too close, that everything is too close, that his skin feels like it’s been pulled tight over his skeleton. That it feels like he could fall to ash at any moment. He doesn’t know how to say these things, to tell them what he feels, so he remains silent, panting over a pile of his own vomit.

 

Finally, when he’s collected himself enough to struggle to his feet and take a few steps away from the bile, Ace lifts his head and stares at his Aunt.

 

“What was that?” he rasps out, “I saw things, I felt things, I don’t-” Ace breaks off, his sentence ending with a choked noise escaping him.

 

His mother pulls him into her arms. Ace doesn’t have the strength to pull away.

 

He falls limp in her embrace.

 

“I too,” his mother’s voice is low, not threatening, but angry enough it sends chills down Ace’s spine, “Would like to know what happened.”

 

Carly shifts  and looks at Ace as though she’s seeing him for the first time. “I’m unsure,” she admits, her words careful and measured, “I can’t be certain about what happened since I no longer possess any magic but I believe Ace managed to access more than I thought he would,” Carly pauses, as though she’s looking for the right words, “In the Crownsguard, we were told that our magic was a watered down version of what the royal line could do. We were still lethal, still powerful, but should he have wished Regis could have toppled half a city before anyone managed to stop him. The Crownsguard couldn’t do that.

 

“At least, individually we couldn’t. If we worked together we could summon storms and earthquakes but we rarely ever did so. The result of such actions usually took too many Lucian and civilian lives for Regis to order us to perform such feats. Such acts also took a toll on those who performed them, draining us of energy and leaving us vulnerable to attack,” Carly rubs her wrist, on the spot where a large burn mark stretches up her arm.

 

“That doesn’t explain what happened to my son.”

 

“I’m getting there. We were told that we couldn’t perform the same feats the Lucian Kings could because what we had was second hand. We didn’t have the same connection to the Crystal, to the Planet and to the Astrals, that the Kings did,” Carly stops rubbing her wrist, “I was trying to introduce you slowly to magic, the same way the Crownsguard is. Magic is volatile at best and destructive at worst, I think, that because you have a deeper connection to what gives you your magic than I ever had, that instead of slowly stepping introducing magic to yourself that you just took a swan dive into the deep end.”

 

“I underestimated how attuned to magic you’d be,” Carly confess looking apologetic, “I had assumed that since you hadn’t been introduced to it before that I would have to slowly introduce it to you. I planned this lesson with the idea that you would have to fight through a filter to access your magic,” Carly chuckles, looking ashamed, “It appears I forgot exactly who your father is.”

 

Katrina grumbles under her breath and holds her son closer. Ace lets himself be moved around like a doll and rests his head against his mother's stomach.

 

“Fucking royalty,” Ace says, voice hollow.

 

His Aunt looks like she wants to make a bad joke, a glare from her sister and nephew stop her.

 

“Right,” Katrina says, “Exactly how are we going to teach Ace magic if your lesson plan is moot.”

 

Carly frowns. “I’m going to have to rework the basics and try to figure out how to make sure he doesn’t accidentally burn anything to the ground. Magic is inherent to the line of Lucis. They were made for it. Perhaps, I need to think of a different way to teach him control.”

 

“Filters,” Ace mumbles, closing his eyes, “Teach me how to build a damn filter.”

 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Carly says, “If we build a filter for you then, in theory, you should be able to access your magic without causing more harm than you meant too. It should keep you from burning out too.”

 

“It might also diminish the magic he has access to,” Katrina points out.

 

“It’s a risk we have to take,” Carly says, “I think we’d both rather he have diminished access to magic rather than have unstable magic.”

 

Katrina makes a noise of agreement and nudges her son gently. “Ace,” she says, “What do you think of this?”

 

“The less magic I have the better,” Ace says, remembering what happened while he was in that weird energy place. Cracking an eye open, he looks at his aunt, “Is there anything you can teach me while you work on figuring out how to make a filter?”

 

Carly grins like a cat with a canary. “I’m going to need to spend time on this,” she says, “But I assure you that you won’t be going without lessons.”

 

Ace can practically feel his mother's smile. “I’ll be teaching you hand to hand combat,” she says cheerfully, “When Carly has the time she’ll be teaching how to use blades while I teach you how to wield spears and staves as well as the hand to hand I mentioned above.”

 

Ace lifts his head and stares at his mother. “How…?”

 

“Didn’t I tell you dear?” she says, “I was a soldier.”

 

* * *

 

His mother, Ace soon learns, is a Shiva damned beast when she fights. While Ace knows she’s holding back as they spar, that she’s more gentle with him than any enemy she would face but there is steel in her eyes as she watches Ace practice the movements she’s taught him. A determination to see him safe through all things.

 

They train in the mornings after Ace has done his chores and before he goes to help Nyx and Libertus at a nearby farm. Ace doesn’t tell his friends what he’s been doing despite the fact that he knows that two will become future Glaives and that they’ll both need all the training they can get. A part of him still hopes to protect them, to keep them safe from whatever comes their way.

 

A larger part of him knows that he can’t, so when Nyx finally asks him what he’s been doing Ace tells the truth.

 

“Mom’s been teaching me how to fight,” he admits, “Says she wants me to know how to fight in case something happens.”

 

“Your mother can fight?” Nyx says, surprise evident on his face.

 

Ace grimaces. “Yeah, apparently she was a soldier. Told me she was infantry.” Something like hero-worship and determination enters Nyx’s eyes. He looks as though he’s going to say something.

 

Libertus beats him to it.

 

“Do you think she could teach us too?” Libertus asks, and Ace would wonder why Libertus wants to learn how to fight, but he remembers the desperate, fear-filled scream that escaped Libertus’s mouth as the ceiling caved in around him.

 

Ace is pretty sure Libertus never wants to feel that way again. Nyx looks at Ace with steel in his gaze and Ace can guess that both his friends never want to feel as helpless as they once were ever again.

 

“I can ask,” Ace says slowly, “But I’m pretty sure you’ll need your parent's permission.”

 

Libertus laughs. “Ma will be on board with it. She’s been begging me to find something else to do.”

 

Ace turns to look at Nyx who shrugs. “Mom will likely say yes,” he says, and Ace is reminded that Nyx’s mother used to be Hunter.

 

Ace wonders if Nyx’s mother would join in teaching them once she hears what’s happening.

 

“If you don’t mind getting up at dawn, then I guess it’ll be fine.”

 

Nyx snorts. “You make it sound like that’s not when we get up anyway.”

 

Ace laughs, sticking his tongue out at his friend.

 

“Yeah, yeah, none of us get much beauty sleep around here do we?”

 

Libertus groans. “What I wouldn’t do to sleep until seven.”

 

“You make it sound like that’s late,” Ace cackles, through a prickly pear up in the air and catching it in one hand, “Late is like, sleeping till noon.”

 

“But then half the day is gone,” Libertus protests, making a face, “Who would want that.”

 

“Nyx,” Ace says, deadpan as ever. The careless illusion is broken when Nyx, ever taller than Ace, forces Ace into a headlock and gives him a hard noogie.

 

“Take that back,” Nyx warns, laughter in his voice, “Or I’ll shove toads in your bed.”

 

Ace’s laughter echoes across the farmyard, drawing fond stares from the other workers. “Mercy!” he cries, “Mercy!”

 

Nyx can’t hold back his own laughter and lets go of Ace who then dramatically drops to the ground. Even Libertus, used to his friends' antics by now, joins in with his own booming laugh.

 

Eventually, the laughter subsides as someone yells at them to get back to work and they scurry to resume picking fruit.

 

Ace steals a glance at his friends out of the corner of his eye.

 

Yeah, he thinks to himself and hopes in vain that nothing ever changes.

 

* * *

 

Ace’s morning training sessions are joined by both Libertus and Nyx. He finds there is something enjoyable about having your ass kicked and then watching your friends get their ass kicked. Nyx’s mother shows up occasionally, providing snacks of fresh fruit and vegetables and bringing baby Selena with her. 

 

Ace loves Selena and spends time playing whatever game the toddler has taken a liking too recently with her. She’s a happy child, just out of toddlerhood and always laughing and wanting to play. Selena herself seems to have also taken a shine to Ace, always pulling on his clothing to get his attention. If he’s honest with himself, he feels like an older brother with her around.

 

He’s pretty sure Libertus feels the same.

 

Having finished his own spar with his mother, Ace sits next to Nyx’s mother, Rosa, and plays pat-a-cake with Selena who sits on her mother's lap and giggles between her squeals of delight.

 

“You know,” Rosa says, eyeing Ace with amusement, “I talked with your mother, she said that once you’ve gotten the hang of hand to hand and achieve some decent skills in weaponry I can teach you and the others the basics of hunting.”

 

Libertus turns his head to look at Rosa as if he can’t believe what he is hearing. To be fair, Ace can’t believe what he’s hearing either.

 

“Really?” Libertus asks, and Ace echoes his words. Rosa laughs and nods.

 

“Well,” Ace says at last, “That’s some motivation at least.”

 

* * *

 

It takes them months until they gain enough experience in hand to hand that Katrina has them move on to wooden weapons. During that time, Ace’s birthday, March twenty-eight, had come and gone. He is now the same age as Nyx and Libertus, both of his friends having been born later in the year than he was.

 

His tenth birthday hadn’t been anything special. His mother had made tarts for Ace and his friends. Nyx, Rosa, and Selena had come over along with Libertus and his mother. It had been a small get together, but that was all Ace had needed.

 

It’s sometime during the night, while he listens to the howls of the wind and creatures outside his window, that he decides that aunt is taking too long. He can feel the magic inside him now, has been able to feel it ever since that day where he tried meditating. It’s an airy thing, slow, light and weightless, yet it seems to react to his emotions; becoming hard and fast when he feels strongly about something.

 

The other day, someone had insulted his mother and something in Ace had roared to life. He felt flames lick at his fingertips and had been lucky he managed to squash those emotions down so the fire faded.

 

He doesn’t think he’ll get lucky again. It’s with that in mind that he develops a new routine, at noon, when the sun is the highest, he breaks away from whatever he is doing and tries to remember what he was taught about mindfulness in his past life. Recognizing the emotion he feels is important, as is noting how his body reacts, and since magic is like another limb, Ace should, in theory, be able to control that reaction to whatever emotion he’s feeling.

 

Since he’s been practicing stepping away from situations to analyze them and control his responses, he’s gotten better at controlling his emotions and thus controlling when his magic should manifest itself. He still slips up at times, and he pretends that his Aunt doesn’t know what he’s doing despite the fact Ace knows that she watches him in case something gets out of hand. Since whatever fire Ace conjures never leaves his hands yet never seems to harm him either, Ace doubts that anything will happen anytime soon.

 

Neither of them tells his mother.

 

It would have remained that way too had Ace paid more attention to who was visiting the island.

 

* * *

 

The day is supposed to be normal, and it would have been too, but his Aunt is off hunting something with Rosa so Selena is being watched by Ace’s mom and Nyx. Libertus is helping out so Ace only feels mildly guilty when he sneaks off.

 

Ace doesn’t notice the man in a hat eye him curiously.

 

He doesn’t notice the shadows following him either. He gets to a well-hidden clearing, accessible only by crawling through a small cave but near enough to the village that he doesn’t have to worry about being found out.

 

Since Ace is trying something new today, he makes a large fire pit, something all children in Galahd are taught to do, and stands in the middle of it.

 

What he’s about to do is reckless and his Aunt and Mother would never approve of him trying it.

 

He’s doing it anyway.

 

Ace takes a deep breath, focusing on the feeling of light that he carries with him wherever he goes. Slowly, he moves the light through his body until as he looks at his hands they glow a deep purple color.

 

Ace smiles, and just as he’s about to try and bring fire to life in his hands a voice speaks.

 

“Well, well,” a dark, deep, voice drawls from the shadows, “What have we here?”

 

The glow fades quickly as Ace turns on his heels, shifting into the stance his mother had taught him. Before him stands a man with a hat and wavy red-violet hair.

 

Ace freezes.

 

Ardyn smirks and Ace feels a rising panic in the back of his throat. He doesn’t take a step back to recognize what is going on, he doesn’t stop to think that maybe he can get out of this another way. He lets panic rise because that’s Ardyn in front of him, a man known for his hatred of the Lucis Caelum line. A man that Ace’s ancestor betrayed, a man that Noctis is going to kill.

 

The Accursed stands in front of him and Ace freezes like a deer in headlights.

 

Ardyn takes a step closer.

 

Purple light flares and the next thing Ace knows Ardyn is on fire.

 

_Oh,_ he thinks, somewhat detached from what’s happening.

 

_Oh,_ he thinks again as he realizes what’s going on.

 

_ Fuck. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since canon is CONTRADICTING ITSELF in regards as to when Regis saved Nyx's life I decided to go with the one where Nyx was a child when Regis saved his life. mainly because it makes more sense to me because why would Regis be there on the day Nyx's sister dies and Niflheim batters Galahd? Regis at that point in time is supposed to be in Insomnia maintaining the Wall. *shakes fist* why are you leaving me to make sense of your shit ffxv?
> 
> anyway, the world building tag comes into play here and so does the magic tag, more magic things will be explained later. 
> 
> ardyn also shows up but who cares about him? 
> 
> (I do, I care about him a lot.)
> 
> also, if you couldn't tell, I'm basing Galahd off various latin american cultures because those are the ones I'm most familiar with being latinx myself. the Just Judge mentioned in this fic is a reference to a Salvadoran legend of the same name. he's one of my favorite legends so i thought i'd give him a shoutout in this fic.
> 
> anyway, thats it for now. my tumblr link can be found on my profile page if you have questions. but if you dont wanna click that far then here it is: sparklecryptid.tumblr.com


	3. Some Princes Don't Become Kings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is a dick in this chapter. Everyone but especially Ace and Ardyn to each other.
> 
> Also, first time writing Ardyn. Please don't murder me for butchering him like i feel I did.

**_This is the forest of lost things_ **

**Margaret Atwood, A Blazed Trail**

 

* * *

 

 

When Ardyn had stopped at this small, insignificant town on the shores of the Galahdian River he hadn’t expected much. He was there to verify the rumors of the town being a safe haven for a former member of the Crownsguard who could be inciting rebellion; and to, perhaps, see if it would be worth the resources to build an Imperial base in the area.

 

The Galahdians in this particular area were notoriously rebellious after all, it would prove useful to have another base in the area.

 

On a more personal level, Ardyn is there because he is bored. There is only so much time you can spend manipulating an entire system of government before it becomes tedious. So while officially he is there on business unofficially he’s there because Galahd has always been entertaining.

 

If Ardyn has a personal fondness for how vicious Galahdians can be, well, who could blame him? The sight of a Galahdian warrior with fire in their eyes and a snarl on their lips is almost invigorating.

 

While Ardyn isn’t expecting much from the small hamlet of a village he is currently surveying, the sight of the nephew of the wayward Crownsguard sneaking off with purpose in his quiet steps, has Ardyn intrigued.

 

Is the Resistance recruiting children now? The boy can’t be more than ten; and for a moment, the boy looks over his shoulder, eyes sliding right past Ardyn’s spot in the shadows, before he turned and disappeared into the trees.

 

Interesting. The boy, called Ace from what Ardyn has observed, seems to be too wary to simply be wanting some time away from his friends. Not only that, but from the quick glance he had at the boys face, Ace seems to carry a striking resemblance to Ardyn’s own late mother. Both have silver eyes framed by strands of wavy black hair. The difference is Ardyn’s mother, Lucina, never pulled her hair back from her face while this boy wears his hair pulled back into a loose braid.

 

Perhaps it’s sentiment that compels Ardyn to follow the boy; or perhaps it’s merely a morbid curiosity, either way, Ardyn finds himself watching as the boy crawls through a small tunnel and into the clearing on the other side. Ardyn himself warps into the clearing just as the boy pulls himself off the ground and dusts himself off.

 

The next few minutes are strange, and Ardyn almost finds himself bored as he watches Ace build a fire pit. Ardyn almost leaves; thinking that Ace is merely being a rebellious child and trying to set a fire to test his limits. Instead, the boy stands in the middle of the fire pit, no matches come into play, there is no kindling in the fire pit and Ace stands in the middle of it, his face twisted in concentration.

 

Ardyn watches as the purple light surrounding the boy stutters and blinks before settling into a steady glow and containing itself to Ace’s hands.

 

The boy’s smile is bright as the sun and Ardyn can’t stand it.

 

Ardyn remembers a time long ago when he and his brother first discovered their magic, he remembers the sight of pure joy on Somnus’ face. Ardyn remembers how he himself felt nothing but joy at being given the ability to do something, to be something more than what he was already.

 

Something in Ardyn burns and he can feel the Scourge rise up to act. It would be mercy, a part of him thinks, to kill the boy now and leave his corpse for animals to feast on.

 

Except he doesn’t, Ardyn stays his hand as his mind wanders and dissects new opportunities. The boy could be useful, even if he isn’t a legitimate heir to the throne, or rather because he isn’t a legitimate heir. Ardyn can see how to play off the boys insecurities, he can see how he could use the boy to wreak havoc upon Lucis. Regis having a bastard child is already a mess that the kingdom of Lucis would have to clean up, Regis having a bastard child that’s loyal to Niflheim? To Ardyn? Why that would make heads explode.

 

The boy also has magic, magic that Ardyn could teach him how to use to fight against Lucis. Magic that Ardyn can use as a way to begin the process of earning Ace’s trust by being his teacher. 

 

If Ardyn convinces him that the throne belongs to him, if Ardyn names Ace his heir, then the boy would become a useful puppet indeed.

 

After all, what prince doesn’t want to become king?

 

What Ardyn doesn’t expect is to be set on fire as soon as he makes his presence known.  The boys shift into a fighting stance isn’t surprising, both of the women who live with Ace were military after all, but the way he freezes, the way Ace’s eyes widen and fear flickers across his face has Ardyn wondering exactly what the boy knows.

 

When panic overtakes the fear in Ace’s face, Ardyn is only mildly surprised to realize that the boy set him on fire.

 

It seems the boys magic is already reacting to his emotions, that no one has taught him how to separate his magic from his emotions. No one has taught the boy how to control his inherent gift and that makes Ace a danger to those around him.

 

It also means that unless he receives a proper education in magic he’ll be discovered sooner rather than later. Ardyn can’t allow that, not when he’s found a piece that promises to be more amusing than the king himself.

 

Ardyn takes a moment to ponder the purple light that flashed as the flames appeared before pushing it out of his head and taking another step toward Ace.

 

“That was rather rude of you don’t you think?” Ardyn says, a cold smirk curling his lips as he douses the flames eating his clothes and the boy falls into the fire pit and tries to scramble away, “That’s no way to greet family.”

 

Ardyn’s theory that Ace knows something is confirmed when something cold enters the boys' eyes. Ace is as easy to read as an open book.

 

That’s something Ardyn is going to have to fix if he wants Ace to be a useful pawn.

 

“You’re not family,” Ace says, voice set and stubborn in a way only a child’s could be.

 

Ardyn let’s the smirk fall from his face. “No?” he questions. Crouching in front of Ace, Ardyn holds out his hand and lets flames flicker to life, “Here I thought those of us with magic were all of the same line.”

 

The result of Ardyn’s impromptu display of magic has a rather unexpected result. Rather than the awe or curiosity Ardyn expected, Ace’s lips press together in a hard line and the boy-

 

The boy tries to punch Ardyn.

 

Ardyn moves out of the way of course, and before Ace can go flying into the dirt Ardyn picks Ace up by the boys grey tank top.

 

“Oh dear,” Ardyn says, “It appears you have a violent streak. Whatever should we do about that?”

 

“Let me go,” Ace demands, Ardyn takes note of the lightning sparking at his fingertips; and while it’s not confirmation that the boy knows something he shouldn’t it’s evidence toward the theory.

 

“I think not. In fact, I believe that we should have a family discussion. Don’t you agree?”

 

* * *

 

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Ace says, all too aware of the precarious situation he’s in. Ardyn could do anything he wants to Ace right now and Ace wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop him. 

 

Ace has no illusions about how well he would fare against Ardyn, or any other adult to be honest. His magic is volatile and dangerous to himself and others and Ace doesn’t trust any element he conjures to not harm him as well.

 

Ace is set on the ground roughly. Before he can think of moving, Ardyn has an ironclad grip on his shoulder.

 

“You don’t have a choice,” Ardyn says, voice low and with an undercurrent of danger. 

 

Ace feels his heart sink to his stomach.

 

“Alright,” Ace says, gathering every bit of courage he has left and tilted his head so he can look Ardyn in the eyes, “Talk.”

 

“How much does a young thing like you know?” That question, Ace thinks, is a trap. If he answers incorrectly, he’ll likely confirm something that he shouldn’t. The problem, Ace realizes, is that Ardyn plays mind games and Ace sucks at them. Ace’s brain to mouth filter has mostly been nonexistent. The fact that he remembers being an adult with no need to curb his tongue around other adults makes it even harder to hold his tongue. 

 

Ace is very proud when he manages to hold back on insulting Ardyn with everything Ace knows about him.

 

“I know King Regis is my father,” Ace admits, playing the part of the put-upon child, “I know I have magic. And I know that Regis doesn’t have any brothers so you can’t be related to him.” That’s a lie, Ace knows that Ardyn is related to Regis, no matter how distantly, but if Ace can play the part of a stubborn child in denial then perhaps Ardyn will leave him alone.

 

It’s a long shot, Ace knows. Ardyn has already seen that Ace has magic, and if he had thought otherwise Ace had just confirmed it for him. Ace would be a valuable asset to the Empire, to Ardyn, if Ace allowed himself to be. Hell, even if he tried to fight against Ardyn’s manipulations he could still wind up being a puppet on a string.

 

Ace has never liked the idea of losing control. He likes the idea of someone else taking that control from him even less.

 

Ardyn makes a humming noise, as though he’s considering what Ace told him.

 

For some reason, Ace feels like he’s been caught in a lie.

 

“You seem so sure of Regis’ family tree for a bastard,” Ardyn says, “Yet, how else would you explain the little fireshow I gave you earlier? Perhaps I’m not Regis’ brother but that of Mors.”

 

Ace bites his tongue to keep from calling Ardyn out on his bullshit.

 

“You’re not,” he says, and adds quickly, “Aunt Carly said he didn’t have a brother either.”

 

“Perhaps I’m a bastard like you? A king denied his throne due to the mere circumstance of his birth.”

 

Ace gives him an unimpressed look. “I don’t want a crown or a throne.”

 

Ardyn tsks at Ace and leans down to bop Ace’s nose. At the touch, Ace grimaces.

 

“Has no one told you? Princes are made to be kings.”

 

“Not me,” Ace denies. Leaning as far away from Ardyn as he can with Ardyn’s hand still gripping his shoulder, “I have everything I need right here.”

 

“And if all that was lost?” Ardyn asks and Ace bristles at the threat; because it is a threat coming from Ardyn because someone who doesn’t know who Ardyn is or what he can do would either laugh it off or consider it a philosophical question.

 

Ace knows better.

 

“If you touch them,” Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbles. Ace can feel anger on the breeze and it fuels him further, “If you even think about laying a hand on my  _ friends. _ On my  _ family. _ On my _ town _ . I will  _ crucify you _ .” It’s not a good threat, but as soon as Ace mentions crucifixion, Ardyn’s whole demeanor changes.

 

Ace remembered the art of Ardyn being crucified and that had fueled his threat. Ace had assumed it to be a sore spot and judging how unmasked anger seems to leak onto Ardyn’s face it is.

 

Ace doesn’t have time to ponder his regrets as Ardyn’s face changes. Black ichor leaks from his pores and bubbles down his snow-white face in the form of tears, the whites of his eyes turn blacker than night and his amber colored irises turn a sickly yellow. Ace feels his breath come out in gasps as he watches the change, he can feel his eyes widen as he takes in every bit of the man that could kill him. Who would suffer no consequences if he did.

 

For the first time since he found out he was going to die in his past life, Ace feels a bone-deep, heart-wrenching fear.

 

“Do I scare you, little boy?” Ardyn asks, his voice silk and  _ threatening, _ “I should.”

 

The Scourge then falls off Ardyn like a cloak and it's as if he had never changed at all.

 

The Starscourge, Ardyn is the Accursed, one who has taken the Scourge into his body. Ace knows this, knows about the Starscourge, about knows what it does. Knows that it’s a disease, an illness that eventually kills you by turning you into a daemon. It’s a slow, painful death. 

 

But seeing it, seeing how Ardyn looked less man and more daemon, is something that playing a game could never prepare Ace for. He’s living this now, he’s living in a world where he could catch the Starscourge and-

 

Ace doesn’t fear death itself, he fears how he will die. The thought of wasting away again, of having to watch and feel his body grow weaker as it does everything in its power to stay alive despite the disease trying to kill it has his heart pounding and sweat pouring down his brow.

 

“I don’t fear you,” Ace says, the tremble in his voice speaking for itself, “I fear what you are.”

 

Ardyn chuckles. “You know _who_ I am.” It’s not a question and Ace feels trapped. Like Ardyn is a panther ready to pounce and Ace is the prey backed into a corner.

 

“Ardyn Lucis Caelum. Healer of Lucis and the Immortal Accursed.” Ace says, his voice quiet, “Hello _Uncle._ ”

 

Ardyn laughs. “So you _do_ know who I am.” It’s as though a switch has been flipped and Ardyn suddenly seems less threatening.

 

Ace still can’t get the image of black ichor and yellow eyes from his mind.

 

“But I must wonder,” Ardyn continues, “How do you know who I am?”

 

“Deductive reasoning.”

 

“Don’t lie to me.” _ It won’t end well,  _ goes unsaid.

 

Ace chooses his next words carefully. “I had a dream,” he lies, terribly proud of how he maintains eye contact and let nothing slip, “There was a voice in a storm. It warned me about you.”

 

Ardyn seems doubtful, but he doesn’t push. “If the Astrals have already contacted you then you must know by now that you need a teacher that knows what they’re doing, yes?”

 

“Aunt Carly-”

 

“Your Crownsguard aunt has no magic,” Ardyn interrupts, “Even if she had the magic given to her by the king she wouldn’t know how to train you. How to teach you how to use your power without being overwhelmed by it. The King acts as a filter through which the Crownsguard receive their magic. Suffice to say, royalty receives training different than that of the Crownsguard.”

 

“I’m not royalty,” Ace protests.

 

“Your blood begs to differ. Tell me, how many times do you think you can push your magic back before it overwhelms you? Before you become nothing but a vessel for the Crystal’s magic? How long, nephew, do you think that you can fight the storm inside you?”

 

“As long as I have too,” Ace’s responds, almost flinching at how weak it sounds even to him, “I won’t waste away and I won’t harm anyone either.” His voice grows firmer as he continues speaking, “I refuse to hurt those I care about.”

 

Ardyn raises an eyebrow. “And what of those you don’t care for?”

 

Ace meets his gaze firmly. “If they hurt those I care for. If they hurt, Nyx or Lib or their families, if they hurt my mother or my aunt, then-” Ace trails off, bravado disappearing upon the sudden realization that he’s ten. That he can’t really do anything should someone come to harm the people he cares for. It makes him feel useless and he hates it.

 

“Then what?”

 

Ace remains silent and Ardyn laughs. His laughter is deep with a dark edge to it.

 

Ace shivers despite the summer heat.

 

“Yes, nephew,” Ardyn says, “That’s what I thought.”

 

Ardyn leaves after that. Ace feels the tension ease itself from his shoulders and lets out a bone-weary sigh.

 

What the fuck is he supposed to do now?

 

* * *

 

Convincing Ace’s mother to let Ardyn teach the boy magic is easy. All Ardyn has to do is weave a story about being Mors’ bastard and the woman, gullible as she is, can see no reason why Ardyn would have magic otherwise. Ardyn even tells her that he’s met Ace already and that’s why he wants to train the boy. Katrina, for some unfathomable reason, seems to trust that Ardyn, despite being the Chancellor of Niflheim, will not harm Ace simply because the two of them are blood.

 

Despite that, Katrina makes one thing abundantly clear.

 

“If you do hurt my boy,” she says, waving a kitchen knife and speaking over the sound of Selena squealing in delight as the boys, Ace’s friends, chase her around outside, “If you think of using him for your own personal gain. If you hurt him or his friends I will carve your eyes out of your skull and force you to swallow your own tongue.”

 

Ardyn smiles. “Why, my dear,” he says, “I would never.”

 

Katrina eyes Ardyn suspiciously, but sets the knife down on the counter and cleans her hands of papaya juice from the fruit she had been cutting.

 

“You better not,” she says, her gaze hard, “Because I’m not the only one who will hurt you if you do.”

 

“Mom-” a voice interrupts whatever Katrina was saying, “-I’m back-” the voice cuts off again, as though startled.

 

Ardyn turns to face Ace with a small grin on his face. “Hello again nephew,” he says, “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.”

 

Ace’s bright, silver eyes widen to a degree that it reminds Ardyn of a Coeurl cub. “Mom,” Ace hisses through clenched teeth, “What is he doing here?”

 

“Your uncle will be teaching you magic,” Katrina tells Ace who makes a sound like a dying cactuar, “My sister no longer has access to magic and I’d rather you have an instructor sooner rather than later.”

 

“But Mom-”

 

“No buts,” Katrina says sternly, “You’re of royal blood, you have more magic than Carly ever had. Chancellor Izunia, despite who he is, is your best shot at learning how to control whatever tempest is inside you.”

 

Ace, to Ardyn’s eternal amusement, pouts. “But he’s a Nif!” 

 

Katrina looks decidedly unimpressed. “Technically,” she says, “We’re all Nifs now.”

 

Ace huffs and glares at Ardyn.

 

“I’ll take that as a sign of agreement,” Katrina says, “Now introduce yourself to your uncle.”

 

Ace doesn’t take his eyes off Ardyn, nor does his glare wither as he introduces himself. “Ace Apollonian,” he introduces himself and Ardyn smirks at how the boy uses his mother's last name, “At your service.”

 

Ardyn takes his hat off and sweeps into a bow, “Ardyn Izunia,” he says, “At yours.”

 

* * *

 

Ace, of course, tells Libertus and Nyx that he’s going to be getting ‘extra training’ from his uncle.

 

“Ardyn’s a bastard,” Ace announces, tossing a mango in the air from where he sits in a tree with Nyx and Libertus. All of them eyeing Ardyn suspiciously as he interacts with various townsfolk, “I don’t like him.”

 

“He’s still your family,” Nyx points out, “And older than you. He’s an adult Ace, you’re going to have to listen to him.”

 

“Not to mention he’s the Chancellor of Niflheim,” Libertus all but spits out, “He could have you killed if you don’t listen to him!”

 

“Yeah,” Ace agrees with a grimace, “Probably.”

 

Nyx picks a mango from the basket of fruit they brought up with them. “Hey,” he says, in a tone that Ace knows to mean trouble for whoever he’s thinking about, “Know how we just let the pits of avocados and mangoes fall to the ground when we don’t want to make jewelry out of them?” At the sound of agreement from both Libertus and Ace, Nyx continues, “Instead of just throwing them on the ground we could throw them at your uncle.”

 

Ace’s eyes light up and he looks at Nyx like the other boy had just handed him the world. “Nyx,” Ace says, “You damn genius.”

 

Instead of voicing his approval, Libertus drops down from the tree all of them were perched on, picks up a discarded mango pit, takes aim, and launches the pit at Ardyn.

 

Ardyn’s hat promptly goes flying off of his head. Libertus let’s out a shout of glee and Ace nearly falls off the tree laughing, having to grab an equally thrilled Nyx’s arm to keep from tumbling off.

 

“Brilliant,” Libertus crows as Ardyn turns to look at the three of them, “Nyx you have the best ideas.”

 

“I know,” Nyx says, his eyes widening as Ardyn stalks toward them, “But now I think we should run.”

 

The children take off laughing in various directions. The townsfolk laugh as they pass by them.

 

Ace grins.

 

He loves his friends.

 

* * *

 

Carly is less than thrilled that someone has taken her place as Ace’s magic mentor.

 

“You can’t teach him the depth and feel of his magic,” Katrina points out and crosses her arms, “You know that as well as I do. At least with someone else with royal blood training him, he has a better chance of learning. Of being able to use his magic without having to confine it.”

 

“I hate it when you’re right,” Carly grumbles, “But I still don’t trust him.”

 

“Neither do I,” Katrina admits, “But as long as he doesn’t harm Ace, I don’t care about my own feelings toward him.”

 

* * *

 

Magic lessons with Ardyn are weird and creepy and Ace hates them. He hates that Ardyn keeps trying to convince Ace to join him. Hates that he has to listen to the Accursed because Ardyn is the only one on the damned island that knows more about magic than Ace's aunt does.

 

He hates the fact that he’s actually learning how to control his magic from Ardyn even more.

 

“I still hate you,” Ace informs Ardyn, who for some reason hasn’t returned to Niflheim in three months.

 

“And yet you accept my guidance.”

 

“I don’t really have a choice,” Ace grumbles, “It’s what? Accept your guidance or let magic fester in me until I die in a horrible explosion of power and light and take everyone around me with me? Yeah, at this point you’re the lesser of two evils.”

 

“I’ve never been told that before.” 

 

“And you will never hear it again,” Ace says, “Now show me how to do something  _ interesting _ .”

 

* * *

 

“You know,” Ardyn says, casually watching Ace coax flowers into blooming, “I could make you my heir.”

 

“Heir to what?” Ace snorts, not bothering to look up from the flower patch he’s standing in, “Your terrible taste in fashion?”

 

“My taste in fashion is impeccable,” Ardyn says, “But no. Those in positions of power always need heirs, and as Chancellor to the Emperor, it’s only fitting I have one as well.”

 

“And when you decide to end the world?”

 

“Well, I suppose I’d let you live.”

 

“Yeah,” Ace says, drawing water out of the flowers he just made bloom and killing them in the process, “I’d rather not live in a world of ruin. Thanks.”

 

“Many would jump at the chance to even have an ounce of the power that being the heir to Niflheim’s Chancellor would give them.”

 

“Well, personally, I think the Emperor and his Empire can go and suck cock.”

 

“Such vulgar language is unbecoming of a prince.” 

 

Ace lets out an annoyed groan. The water he had taken from the flowers fall to the ground in a glory of raindrops.

 

“I’ve told you,” Ace says, “I’m not a prince.”

 

“Aren’t you?”

 

“I’m a bastard,” Ace says, firm in his belief, “I will never have a throne or a crown. I’ve no need for the power I already possess and I have no desire for more than what I already have.”

 

“I believe you’ll find,” Ardyn says, “That our bloodline doesn’t let go of what we believe belongs to us so easily.”

 

Ace meets his gaze head-on. “It’s a good thing I don’t believe the throne is mine then isn’t it?”

 

* * *

 

Nyx and Libertus turn eleven on October thirty-first and December second respectively, once again leaving Ace behind in the aging game.

 

Ardyn, having just returned from Niflheim in time for Libertus’ birthday, promptly invites both Nyx and Libertus to join in Ace’s training.

 

Ace is immediately suspicious. “I thought you were teaching me magic?” Ace asks and hates how he’s come to almost like Ardyn’s company over the past few months.

 

“Oh, you’ll still be learning magic,” Ardyn assures, “But there is no reason we can’t branch out and add combat to that, hmm?”

 

“I’m still learning combat with Nyx and Libertus,” Ace points out because his weapons training with his mother, aunt, and Rosa hasn’t diminished simply because he has also been learning magic.

 

“Yes, well, I believe you’ll find my style of combat far more  _ interesting.” _

 

“And Nyx and Lib?”

 

Ardyn smiles. “They already seem to enjoy using me as target practice. I might as well teach them how to do so properly.”

 

Ace narrows his eyes. He knows Ardyn has an ulterior motive, but he can’t figure out what it is.

 

“Besides,” Ardyn adds, as if reading Ace’s mind, “Every prince needs his knights.”

 

Ace groans.

 

_ “Fuck off.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ardyn: attempts to be mainpulative  
> Ace: Iol i have a degree in philsophy with a minor in literature nice try bitch.


	4. Echoes and Warnings Pt. I

**_Young enough to believe_ **

**_nothing will change them_ **

**_They step hand in hand_ **

**_Into the bomb crater_ **

 

**Ocean Vuong, A Little Closer To The Edge**

* * *

  
  


Training with Ardyn, with Nyx and Libertus, is weird. Ace feels as though he has to be on guard all the time, as though he has to protect Nyx and Libertus from his uncle because even if they don’t know what Ardyn is they know enough to be suspicious of any Imperial that comes and offers to train them with no strings attached.

 

Ace knows something is going to go wrong, there’s this paranoia in his gut that won’t go away and he can see how Ardyn looks at how the three of them interact with each other as though he’s planning something.

 

Ace hates not knowing what Ardyn’s planning. He hates the fact that not knowing what Ardyn is planning could lead to his friend's deaths.

 

“I don’t like him,” Ace tells his mother while Katrina makes a squash soup, “I don’t trust him.”

 

“It’s been almost a year dear,” Katrina says, idly stirring the pot, “You should be used to him.” It’s true, it has almost been an entire year since Ardyn first showed up but Ace is still uncomfortable around him. Perhaps it’s because he knows who, what, Ardyn truly is; or perhaps it’s merely because Ardyn, no matter what face he puts on, still works for Niflheim and their small town still gets reports of the happenings in other towns and cities.

 

They receive reports of people going missing, or people being dragged from their homes and forced to watch as everything they have is burned. There are whispers of dissent rising everywhere, whispers of the Resistance movements gaining strength across Galahd.

 

Niflheim is a cruel master that cares naught for Ace’s people.

 

Ace can’t forget that. When he looks at Ardyn, he sees a potential threat, not just to the world, but to his home. To his friends and family. When Ace looks at Ardyn he sees a man with more power than anyone should have and Ace is terrified that one-day Ardyn will use that power to bury everything Ace cares about in blood.

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to him,” Ace claims loudly.

 

Katrina, as if she knows something he doesn’t, laughs. “He’s your family,” she says fondly, “You’ll get used to him sooner or later.”

 

Ace doubts it.

 

* * *

 

The next time Ace, Nyx, and Libertus meet up with Ardyn to train, their training so far having consisted of refining what fighting skills they already have, they are met with Ardyn standing by a large basket filled with various fruits and vegetables.

 

The three children share a glance, all of them can tell that what is about to happen is bad. But Nyx and Ace are in silent agreement as they both reach out between them and push Libertus forward.

 

Libertus turns his head to mouth ‘traitor’ at Ace.

 

Ace shrugs. Libertus huffs but turns back toward Ardyn anyway. “So,” Libertus says, voice sure and confident despite his uneasy shifting, “What are the fruits for?”

 

“I’m so glad you asked Libertus,” Ardyn says, smiling in a way that Ace has come to know means nothing good, “It’s time for a game I like to call  _ Dodge _ .” No sooner than he’s finished speaking does an avocado go flying and hit Nyx square in the chest. The avocado had been overripe as it easily splatters and leaves a stain on Nyx’s shirt.

 

“Oh,” Libertus says, his eyes widening. Then as if to prove just how much Ace is a bad influence adds, “Fuck.”

 

Ace, for his part, is already running away.

 

All is fair in friendship and training with Ardyn.

 

* * *

 

Ace stumbles back to his house after three hours of playing Dodge and longingly looks at the couch even as his aunt cackles as soon as she sees him. Ace is sticky, wet, and splattered in the remains of all kinds of fruit.

 

Libertus and Nyx hadn’t fared much better.

 

“Rough day, huh?” she asks, laughing at Ace as he trudges past the living and into the hallway where his room is; determined to grab a change of clothes and to shower. Most Galahdians live in small houses close to the ground, few being two stories high and even fewer being over that. Niflheim had destroyed the few high-rises that existed in major Galahdian cities when they had attacked after the Wall first fell.

 

There are a few ruins in the town Ace is raised in. The school is the main one that children like him explore despite the warnings their parents give. The ruins in town were never fully taken care of and each child is given lessons on what to do if they come across a corpse. They are instructed to pray for it, to ask either Ramuh or the Old Gods to grant the body’s soul a peaceful afterlife and they are told to go and find an adult after they’re finished praying so that the body may be given a proper burial.

 

Most of the corpses trapped in buildings are gone by now, others have found them when they went looking for loved ones in the aftermath. Some bodies remained still, and parents warned their children against going to look for them.

 

Ace, Libertus, and Nyx had come across a body once before. It was when they were eight and just old enough to wander the town without being tied down to their parents all the time. They had found a body while exploring the ruins of an old bungalow that hadn’t survived the bombs in an effort to impress each other when they found the body.

 

Each of them had paled and stumbled backward in shock before getting on their knees and praying for whatever soul had met such a horrible fate. Libertus had remained pale for a long time and that was when he confessed he was scared, terrified really, of being buried alive.

 

Ace hadn’t thought much of it then, but now that he knows what happened to Libertus, he has a better understanding of why Libertus had been so snappy and quiet while they went and got Nyx’s mother.

 

Finishing his shower and putting on new clothing, clothing that isn’t stained with the juice of various produce, Ace trudges back to the living room and throws himself onto the couch.

 

His aunt lets out an ‘oomph’ noise when he lands on her.

 

“Now,” Carly says, a bit out of breath, “Is that any way to treat your elders?”

 

“Yes,” Ace replies, voice monotone, “Where did Ardyn get the produce?”

 

“He went around asking for overripe fruits or anything we couldn’t use. Told us what he was going to do actually, told others it was for the ‘good of the town’ that you children learn how to dodge.”

 

“I’m going to murder him,” Ace announces, throwing an arm over his eyes, “Murder.”

 

“Don’t murder your uncle,” Katrina chides from the kitchen, “We still need him.”

 

Ace makes a noise of disagreement.

 

Carly laughs.

 

* * *

 

Playing Dodge continues for the rest of the year. Ace turns eleven, Nyx and Libertus turn twelve, and as another New Year approaches Ardyn leaves.

 

Ace is glad for his absence, it means he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder every waking moment to see if his crazy uncle is going to throw something at him.

 

Ardyn shows up once in the following year, stays for a few weeks and teaches Ace how to meditate properly. How to weave magic through his own body and move it as though it’s another muscle. Ardyn teaches Ace how to become so aware of his magic that he doesn’t even notice it most of the time, the weight that pulled him down before is almost completely gone.

 

“Magic should be as natural as breathing,” Ardyn had said, “One day you will reach for it without thinking and it will mould itself to your will with barely a thought. Give magic a clear, concise direction and it will grant you power unlike you’ve ever known.”

 

“Of course,” he had added, “You must accept it as part of you first.”

 

Up to that point, Ardyn had just been teaching him control, how to will his magic to take things and use them to benefit himself or others. Ace has made flowers bloom and pulled water from plant life but that had been required him to force his magic out of his core and hours of trying to direct it to do what Ace  _ wanted it to do _ before it worked.

 

Still, Ace had practiced and now he could do a number of things without pulling at his magic as harshly. It still took a great deal out of him to  _ use _ magic but if Ardyn was right and the exercises he prescribed worked then Ace sees no harm in at least trying meditation again.

 

He hasn’t tried to meditate since the first time his aunt had tried to teach him magic. A part of him worries that he’ll be lost in that place of light and energy like he almost was before but another part, a part of Ace filled with the spite and defiance that youth brings, tells him not to worry.

 

Ace closes his eyes and breathes out slowly, looking for the wild, untamed thing that slithers just beneath his skin. When he finds it, it fights against his attempt at grabbing onto it. It’s more difficult than Ace remembers to hold onto the magic in him, to make it listen to what he wants it to do. It’s as though ever since it tasted the freedom of being used it’s become changed, stubborn almost.

 

A frown marred his face as he tries to remember how he did this before. Ace had felt the light, he remembers, had held the light in his mind's eye and let it flow through as though he was a conduit.

 

Ace feels the frown on his face deepen as he tries to coax his magic to listen to him. He can picture the light, the soft deep purple glow, that appears each time he brings fire to life in his hands. He can see the purple glow in the darkness of his mind, can feel where it lays within him; somehow managing to be bone deep and just under the surface of his skin at the same time. He can feel the magic in him.

 

He simply can’t replicate the results he had when he tried meditation the first time.

 

Ace lets out a loud groan and allows himself to fall back onto his bed. The blue quilt, a gift from Libertus’ mother, crinkles beneath him. Sunlight falls through his open window and throws light around the room, making shadows lean out from his furniture.

 

“Damn it,” he says, throwing a hand over his head, “Damn it.”

 

* * *

 

Every day after Ace finishes his chores and training with his Carly, Katrina, and Rosa he goes and tries to meditate.

 

It never works. Carly even tries to guide him through it again as she did the first time but Ace’s magic keeps slipping through his fingers.

 

He hates it.

 

* * *

 

Selena joins Ace, Libertus, and Nyx during their training. She’s nine now, the women teaching them said, she should be able to learn what her brother and his friends are learning.

 

The boys all learn that Selena is a quick learner and that she hits hard.

 

“Ow,” Ace moans when after two months of training with them Selena manages to take him down, “That hurt.”

 

“I’d tell you that you hit like a girl,” Selena says, smugly holding her staff, “But that’s insulting girls everywhere.”

 

Ace glares at her.

 

Libertus and Nyx howl with laughter in the background.

 

* * *

 

Having Selena train with them just enforces the fact that both Libertus and Ace begin to see her as their sister. Rosa sees them all bickering and laughing and mentions something about Selena having three brothers.

 

Selena sticks out her tongue at her mother and then ducks behind Nyx when Rosa raises a dark brow. “I have one brother,” she proclaims loudly, “That’s enough! Boys are gross.”

 

“I hope you always think that,” Nyx says, looking older than he is from the thought of his little sister dating, “Always think that.”

 

“Aw,” Ace teases because he’s just turned thirteen and thirteen-year-olds are dicks, “Scared of your sister dating?” Nyx’s face darkens, Selena squeals in disgust.

 

“Ew!” she yells, “Boys!”

 

Libertus and Ace share a look and laugh.

 

* * *

 

Ardyn stops by the village long enough to laugh at Ace who is still trying to mediate.

 

Ace having had enough of Ardyn’s behaviour lets his magic flare to life and sets Ardyn on fire. Or means to at least, it’s more of an explosion than the flames he had meant to conjure

 

Ace is pretty sure that Ardyn is going to kill him one of these days.

 

Ardyn dispels the flames Ace conjured and steps out of the crater that the explosion caused.

 

He smirks.

 

Ace pointedly does not try to set Ardyn on fire again.

 

“You can control your anger,” Ardyn says, “I see no reason why controlling magic would be harder for you.”

 

Ardyn says he’ll return when Ace can successfully grab at his magic again. He adds that he doubts Ace will be able to as an afterthought.

 

Ace hopes that Ardyn doesn’t return.

 

That doesn’t mean that he isn’t going to prove Ardyn wrong and wrangle his magic into submission.

 

* * *

 

The three of them, Nyx, Libertus and Ace, begin to hear things as they grow older. They begin to hear rumors of Imperial bases being built on other areas of their island. They hear of mining operations that pay their workers poorly, and of the jungle, their jungle, being cut down and harvest for resources.

 

Galahdians believe that their islands are life-givers, that they should respect the land they’re on. The land will provide if they but take care of it is what most Galahdians believe. There are legends that the spirit of Eos rests in the islands. That those who tend to the land are tending to the very spirit of the world. There are tales that their people are the chosen of Ramuh, blessed by him and guarded by Leviathan.

 

There are ruins scattered throughout the jungles that tell the stories of Old Gods, of how the universe came to be and how the islands were made when they fought each other. There are tales of how Galahd Canyon is a graveyard for Gods and lost things. Their land is full of culture and beauty and Niflheim doesn’t seem to care.

 

It’s infuriating.

 

The fact that Imperial patrols have been coming to their town doesn’t help matters any.

 

* * *

 

Ace is determined. The steady, slow sort of determination you get when you know that you can do something you just have to figure out how to do it.

 

Ace is determined that he’s going to get his magic to listen to him today.

 

He settles himself with his back against a tree on the far edge of a clearing that’s far enough from his town that the odds of someone finding him there are slim but close enough that he could run to get help if he wanted too.

 

Ace closes his eyes and breathes. He clears all thoughts of what could happen, what will happen, he clears his mind of what he knows and just lets himself exist in the world for a moment before he nudges his magic with his mind.

 

For once, his magic listens. Determined still, Ace opens his eyes, unaware of the backlit purple glow that makes them eerie, and holds out his left hand. Large tendrils of royal purple light erupt from his hand slowly, intertwining like vines to form what looks like a tree trunk. The tendrils spilt off near the top, each of them branching out in a different direction to form the canopy of the tree they made.

 

A grin splits Ace’s face open and a gleeful laugh escapes his mouth as he stares in wonder at the light in his hand. Magic hums in his veins and all but sings in the air around him.

 

Ace is overjoyed.

 

His magic is listening to him again and it’s amazing. With a breath, he lets the light fade from his hand, and simply basks in the world around him.

 

* * *

 

Ardyn returns within the year. He finds Ace in the clearing where he managed to coax his magic to life a second time. Ace is idly balancing an orb of purple light on the top of his right index finger when Ardyn clears his throat.

 

The abruptly disappears when Ace notices Ardyn.

 

“Ardyn,” Ace greets, voice as cold as the winter sea, “I hoped you wouldn’t be coming back.”

 

“And leave my darling nephew all alone? Don’t be ridiculous,” Ardyn says his hat hiding his eyes from sight, “Besides, I come bearing news.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“It’s your father and his queen have finally given birth to a child. A small prince by the name of Noctis I believe.”

 

Ace isn’t sure what he’s supposed to think about that news. Perhaps if he hadn’t been born with the knowledge he has he would feel hurt. Maybe he would be angry that Regis had married a woman, had a child with a woman that isn’t Ace’s mother.

 

Maybe he would be bitter that Noctis is being given a crown that should have been Ace’s.

 

But Ace remembers the plotline, though much of it is becoming hazy as the years go by, and he knows that he is never going to have a throne. Ace knows that he doesn’t make it to the main plot and he’s fine with that.

 

His only regret would be leaving his friends and family behind.

 

“Is that so?” Ace says, quirking his lips up into a smile, “I don’t really see why I should care.”

 

“Does it not bother you that a pretender has claimed what is rightfully yours? That your throne is being given to a boy that doesn’t wield half the power you do.”

 

“I’m sure Noctis will grow into his power,” Ace remarks dryly, “And I’ve told you before, I have no desire for a throne. Noctis can take Lucis for all I care, it’s not like they’re helping us Galahdians right now anyway.”

 

“You could change that.”

 

Ace’s smile shows teeth. “I plan to.”

 

* * *

 

Ardyn teaches Ace how to warp by giving him a dagger, a brief set of instructions, and then promptly throwing him off of the cliffs of Galahd Canyon.

 

It works, Ace does wind up warping onto a small outcropping and comes out with only bruises in places he never had bruises before and scrapes on the palms of his hands and knees.

 

It speaks to the level of tolerance Ace has that he doesn’t rush over and stab Ardyn when he finally makes it back to the top of the cliff he was thrown from.

 

After he’s somewhat mastered the art of warping Ardyn tosses a rock at him. Ace recognizes it as moonstone as he catches it. It’s the stone of Nyx’s family, and Ace turns a curious eye to his great-uncle.

 

“What’s this about?” Ace asks.

 

“You must know by now those of our line can grant favors to those we deem worthy,” Ardyn says, “I’m merely going to show you how it’s done.”

 

Ace cracks three pieces of tumbled moonstone in half when transferring his magic to them. By the time he’s on the fourth one, Ardyn gives him some advice.

 

“Imagine the stone is someone you cherish,” Ardyn says, “Imagine that you trust them with your life.” Ace narrows his eyes at Ardyn but listens.

 

He imagines the moonstone as Nyx, as one of the people Ace trusts with everything and gently pushes his magic into the stone. He pictures his magic settling into the stone like rain into a pond. Slowly, the colors of the moonstone seem to brighten, it looks as if there it reflects light back into the world.

 

More importantly, it doesn’t shatter.

 

Ace looks at Ardyn, ready to gloat about his victory only to stop when he sees Ardyn looking at him with an unreadable expression.

 

“It seems you’re a quick learner,” Ardyn says, voice impassive, “An excellent thing. I’m sure your Shield will be most pleased when you bless him with your magic.”

 

Ace narrows his eyes. “I’m not giving anyone magic.” Ardyn laughs, as though Ace has said something truly amusing.

 

“You will,” he denies, “It’s in our nature to share the power within our skin. Our magic wants to leak out and latch onto any it deems worthy of having it. All you have to do is let it.”

 

Ace says nothing, and the shadows seem to eat away at Ardyn has he fades from sight.

 

* * *

 

A year later and a half later, three weeks after Ace turns fifteen, he, Nyx and Libertus all discuss joining the Resistance. There is no age requirement for joining.

 

Their parents are against it.

 

They join anyway.

 

* * *

 

They don’t so much run away from home to fight Niflheim as they just leave one day. Ace leaves a note for his mother and Carly, packs his bag with traveling essentials, including bug spray and leaves his house. Libertus kisses his mom on the cheek before grabbing his backpack and taking off down the road to meet Ace by the edge of town.

 

Nyx is there waiting for them already, holding two wrapped packages in his hands.

 

Libertus and Ace share a glance and slow their pace as they approach Nyx.

 

“What are-” Libertus gestures toward the packages Nyx is carrying, “-those?”

 

“Gifts from Mom,” Nyx grunts, “She said that although she disapproves she can’t really stop us since we’d find a way to do what we want anyway. So she gave us the weapons her old adventuring buddies had.”

 

Ace blinks. That is unexpected. Aside from Ace’s Aunt, Rosa had been the one most firmly against what the three of them planned to do.

 

Nyx hands the smaller package to Libertus and holds out a package for Ace to take.

 

Ace hesitates. “Are you sure it’s okay for us to have these?”

 

“Yeah,” Nyx nods, “Mom practically shoved them in my hands and ordered I give them to you guys. It’s fine.”

 

Ace takes the package and carefully unwraps it only to gasp in surprise. The wrapping contains a short sword, one of the weapons the three of them had been trained in, held in a handmade leather sheath.

 

“Wow,” Libertus says, echoing Ace’s thought as Libertus gazes at the long knife Rosa had gifted him, “Wow.”

 

“Yeah,” Ace agrees, “ _ Holy shit,  _ Nyx. Your mom is awesome.”

 

Nyx grins, toothy and wide. “Yeah,” he agrees, “I know. She gave me this awesome set of kukris. Said they used to belong to a hero.”

 

For the first time since Ace arrived he notices the blade strapped to Nyx’s waist and the one that peaks out from behind him that’s strapped to the back of his hip.

 

Cold dread pools in Ace’s stomach as it hits him, not for the first time, but with a sudden clarity, that he doesn’t want Nyx to die.

 

But he will anyway. Ace will die, Nyx will die, Libertus will be left alone and there is nothing Ace can do to stop it.

 

A voice startles Ace out of his melancholy thoughts.

 

He doesn’t notice the curious look Nyx sends him.

 

“Hey! You three!” Selena’s voice comes from down the road as she rushes to meet them, “How dare you guys think of rushing off without telling me goodbye.” Running up to her brother, Selena lands a punch on Nyx’s arm before she turns to face Ace and Libertus a pout on her face.

 

“It’s rude to leave without saying goodbye,” she says, her hands on her hips in an attempt to look threatening.

 

Ace has to cough to hide a laugh, Selena looks anything but threatening in her pink cotton dress and red sandals. She looks like a gangly doll with too big eyes and a missing front tooth.

 

Selena’s eyes narrow in on Ace. “Is something funny?”

 

“Of course not,” Ace says with a smile, “I was just wondering why you were here.” That’s a lie of course, it’s obvious why Selena is here. She wants to say goodbye to her brother.

 

Nyx sighs, like the old man in a fifteen-year-old body he is, and drags his hand down his face. “We have to get going,” Nyx tells his sister, “We need to make it there by nightfall." There are whispers of a Resistance Base hiding somewhere in Galahd canon.

 

Ace hopes it's far away from where Ardyn threw him off a cliff.

 

Selena's face turns serious as she takes the time to look are three of them in the eye. “You three better come back,” she says quietly, “I don’t want to lose my brothers.”

 

Something in Ace’s heart swells at her words and he finds he can’t speak.

 

“We’ll be back,” Libertus says, his confidence endearing, “After all, nothing can keep us down for long.”

 

“That’s right,” Ace says finding his voice, “Besides, we’re only going for a year. After that, we’ll be back and annoying you again before you know it.”

 

“I’ll hold you to that.”

 

Leaving after that is harder than it was before.

 

* * *

 

That night, after their group of three, has been accepted into the Resistance as spies and message runners, Ace dreams of a storm.

 

Ace stands on the cliffs of Galahd Canyon again. This time there is no clear summer day waiting for him. No Accursed Uncle to throw him off the cliff. All there is is the deadly roll of clouds above him and the lightning that lights up the sky.

 

There is a noise behind him, and in the dream Ace finds himself turning to face whatever made the noise.

 

His breath catches in his throat. Before him is a tall, armored man riding a chocobo whose feathers seem to be made of the same clouds that roll overhead. Each time lightning strikes, the feathers on the chocobo light up as though it is one with the storm.

 

Ace gazes at the man in front of him with fear and wonder in his wide-eyed gaze.

 

The Just Judge, Ace thinks staring at the plume of rising smoke that takes the place of where the armoured man's head should be. It is said the Judge is a Messenger, chosen of Ramuh to deliver his words to those he deems worthy enough to hear them.

 

The chocobo lets loose a piercing wail and Ace stumbles backwards and falls.

 

* * *

 

Ace wakes with a gasp. His breath caught in his throat as he tries to remember to breathe, that he’s on solid land.

 

It takes Ace a moment to remember where he is, but the sound of Libertus snoring and the warmth of both Nyx and Libertus curled up beside him calms him down enough so that he can think clearly.

 

He’s fine. He’s safe and not falling to his death. His friends are there on sleeping bags beside him and somehow they’ve all wound up in a tangled pile of limbs. Ace lets out a quiet laugh as his racing heart calms.

 

Soon enough the day will begin. Soon enough they’ll receive their orders.

 

Soon they won’t be children anymore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some kids do rebellion by drinking when they are underage, nyx, ace, and libertus join a resistance movement. 
> 
> selena is an amazing little girl and so much fun to write you guys. also i really enjoyed writing the boys in this chapter as well, ardyn is still hard as hell to write but i think im getting the hang of it.
> 
> im also editing the next chapter which was supposed to be part of this chapter but got too long for it so i turned it into its own chapter. also, once again, messing with the timeline because if i did the math right the kingsglaive was formed when Nyx and Libertus were 17 and since they were some of the original members (not sure if canon or fanon but im going with it) i refuse to believe that lucis allowed people who weren't adults into their elite military program.
> 
> so yeah, fucking with the timeline again because reasons.


	5. Echoes and Warnings Pt. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh, warning for angst, character death, depictions of violence, war, and some gore and um. yeah. thats it I think?

**_All you want to is to run_ **

**_Into the woods & beg_ **

**_the wolf to fuck you up_ **

 

**Ocean Vuong, Anaphora as Coping Mechanism**

* * *

 

The year they spend with the Resistance is invaluable. They learn to sneak, to throw their voice and how to seem innocent. They learn how to blend in with the locals, how to pickpocket and charm their way into places. They learn to break and enter and Ace finds all of it thrilling.

 

Nyx and Libertus have the gall to be bored with the work they do. They understand that information collecting and scouting is important but they want to be where the action is. They want to blow things up.

 

Ace doesn’t tell them that blowing things up isn’t as fun as people make it out to be and merely just a good way to ruin things but he thinks that the fact he can make explosions happen whenever the mood strikes him has tainted his view of explosives.

 

Ace’s training with Ardyn grinds to a halt. Ace doesn’t mind it much, what he does mind are the notes detailing troop movements that Ace keeps finding when he’s supposed to gathering intel on his own. Each time he opens a note to read it, Ace can picture Ardyn smirking in his head.

 

It doesn’t do anything to lessen Ace’s anger that all of the information Ardyn gives him is accurate and comes after Ace has already confirmed where or when the troops will be moving.

 

_Fucking Ardyn._

 

* * *

 

Life with the Resistance is hard, they don’t eat as much as they used to, each meal being rationed when they’re at base and when they’re on missions they have to gather their own meals. Their baby fat falls away and all of them grow.

 

Some more than others.

 

“This isn’t funny,” Ace tells a smirking Nyx as Libertus cackles behind him, “This is the opposite of funny. _Put me_ _down_.”

 

“It’s hilarious,” Nyx says and Ace can hear the smirk in his voice even if he can’t see it, “You used to be the tall one.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I’m still tall enough to kick your ass.”

 

“He be little but he be fierce,” Libertus says laughter still ringing in his voice, “Man, it’s hard to believe that you were taller than us once.”

 

“It’s not my fault you too shot up like weeds,” Ace protests, slamming his palm against Nyx’s back. If Nyx wants to throw Ace over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes then Ace will make sure that Nyx pays for it.

 

Nyx grunts as Ace’s palm connects with his back and tightens his grip on Ace’s waist. “Not gonna work,” Nyx tells him, “Your punishment for leaving Libertus and I at the hands of a curious newbie is to be carried around for as long as I can hold you.”

 

Ace seriously consider warping out of Nyx’s grasp.

 

He settles for lifting Nyx’s shirt up and licking a strip down his back instead.

 

Nyx immediately drops Ace on his ass and Ace laughs.

 

“Did you think I wouldn’t find a way to escape?” Ace asks raising an eyebrow as he stares up at Nyx and notes the flush on Nyx’s cheek, “You’re not getting sick are you?”

 

“I’m fine,” Nyx says too quickly for it to be true. Libertus snorts and Nyx aims a glare at him.

 

“We should finish packing for our return trip,” Nyx says and Ace forgets about the flush that still lingers on Nyx’s cheeks, “The sooner we leave tomorrow the better.”

 

“Yeah,” Libertus says, “Can’t wait for Aunt Carly and Aunt Katrina to kick our asses.”

 

“We’ve gotten faster and stronger training with the people here,” Ace points out, “We might have a chance this time.”

 

“Do you really believe that?”

 

Ace thinks for a moment. “No,” he admits, “Not really.”

 

“Thought so.”

 

* * *

 

They leave the base as soon as the sun is up, climb a hidden path and venture into the jungle that separates them from their hometown.

 

“ _Six,_ ” Ace swears, “I miss Moms pupusas.” Besides him Libertus groans.

 

“I would murder someone for your mothers panes rellenos,” Libertus says, “ _It’s so good_.”

 

“I think,” Nyx says slowly, “That we shouldn’t talk about food until we’re on the other side of the jungle and back in town.”

 

Ace mock salutes. “Aye, aye Captain.”

 

Nyx rolls his eyes.

 

Ace grins.

 

* * *

 

They don’t make through the jungle before sunset. Rather, they run into an Imperial patrol and wind up hiding out in an old ruin, a temple to Ramuh Ace would guess by the markings on the walls, and pushing anything they can get their hands on against the door to buy them some time to at least try and get out of this alive.

 

“We’re fucked,” Libertus says as a large bang echoes through the main room of the temple they barricaded themselves in, “They have guns and shit and they outnumber.”

 

Nyx is silent and Ace spares a moment to throw a concerned look his way. Nyx’s face is drawn and pale and Ace is suddenly struck by the thought that his friends are children still. That they still have so much to live for, that they’ve never experienced death the way Ace has and that they’ve never killed another person.

 

Ace makes up his mind on a plan of action in less than a second.

 

“Nyx,” Ace says, “Don’t temples usually have back exits?”

 

Nyx blinks, and Ace feels sorrow at the faint hope that glimmers in his eyes. “Yes,” he agrees hastily, “But they’re usually hidden so only the priests and priestess can find them.”

 

Somewhere deeper in the temple, a chocobo wails. Nyx and Libertus jump.

 

Ace is forcibly reminded of the dream he had on the night he first stayed with the Resistance.

 

“Follow the chocobo noises,” Ace says, and unsheathes the short sword Rosa had given him, “I’ll buy you enough time to get away.”

 

“We’re not leaving you,” Nyx says, the hope in his eyes gone; having been replaced by anger, “We do this together or not at all.”

 

The chocobo wails again and the banging on the door gets louder.

 

Ace wonders how long it will be until the Imperials decide to just blow the door open.

 

“Libertus,” Ace orders, voice stern and leaving no room for argument, “Take Nyx and go. I’m faster than both of you, if any of us have a chance of getting out alive its me.” Ace doesn’t mention that he has magic and that he plans to use it.

 

At the thought of being used his magic swirls to life in his veins, flowing through him like water. It recognizes Nyx and Libertus as being worthy and whispers to Ace to share his magic. To let Libertus and Nyx fight alongside him, to become a storm.

 

Ace shuts that line of thought down before it gets dangerous. His job is to make sure that his friends are safe, that they survive to the plot. Ace ignores the fear of rejection that wells up whenever he even considers giving Libertus or Nyx magic.

 

Libertus hesitates. “But-”

 

_“Now.”_

 

Nyx lunges at Ace only to be forced back by Libertus.

 

“Nyx,” Libertus says, sounding as though he wishes for anything else to be true “We need to go. Ace is right, he’s faster than both of us, if we all ran together we’d slow him down.”

 

“I’m not-”

 

“I’ll find a way back to you guys,” Ace snaps, “Just leave.”

 

“Swear it,” Nyx snarls as Libertus tugs him in the direction of the wailing chocobo, “Swear you’ll find us.” Ace doesn’t want to make a promise he knows he’ll be unable to keep. But if it gives Nyx and Libertus comfort, if he makes them hurry up and leave, he will.

 

Ace meets Nyx’s wild eyes. “May Ramuh condemn me if I fail to make it out of this alive,” he swears, feeling only mildly guilty for making a promise he might not be able to keep when Nyx finally lets Libertus pull him toward the hallway to their right that leads deeper into the temple.

 

There’s a large bang, the ground beneath Ace shakes as the barricaded doors bursts open.

 

Ace throws himself behind a pillar as the patrol starts shooting. Libertus and Nyx disappear into the darkness of the temple.

 

As soon as Ace is sure neither Nyx or Libertus will turn back, he reaches into himself and grasps the magic that flows in his blood. A ball of purple flame burns to life in the center of his left hand.

 

Ace takes a deep breath to steady himself, clutches the short sword in his right hand a little tighter, and steps out from behind the pillar he is hiding behind.

 

The patrol levels their guns at him. Ace smiles, a small, shaky thing.

 

He separates the magic in his palm his body and launches it at the closet MT. The MT doesn’t scream as it dies.

 

Ace isn’t sure how to feel about that, he doesn’t have time to think about how he feels about that as he warps to the MT furthest away from him. The blade of his sword cuts through the MT’s armor like it was made of butter.

 

Ace pulls his sword out and tries not to stare at the blood.

 

After that killing the rest of the patrol is easy. Ace sends lightning bouncing from one MT to the next and watches as they fall to the ground, twitching and convulsing as they die.

 

It’s so easy to kill them it’s almost disturbing.

 

Ace stares at their bodies and thinks that he can’t leave them there. This is a temple, ruined as it is, it is still a temple and leaving the bodies of four MTs in it is disrespectful.

 

Ace blinks and purple flames flare to life, eating away the remains of each corpse. He cleans off his short sword, and follows the path he saw Libertus and Nyx run down. It’s still dark out, so he doubts they ventured outside the safety of holy ground.

 

He might still have a chance at catching up with them.

 

* * *

 

Ace does eventually catch up to them. He sees Libertus with his dagger out and eyeing the shadows as though something could pop out at any moment.

 

Ace feels his heart sink into his stomach when he realizes he can’t see Nyx anywhere.

 

“Lib?” Ace asks, attempting to keep his voice level and even, “Where’s Nyx?”

 

Libertus spins around, his eyes as wild as Nyx’s were when Ace asked them to leave him behind. “Stay back!” Libertus says panicked and with an alarming amount of desperation, “He took Nyx!”

 

“Libertus,” Ace says, heart hammering in his chest, “Who took Nyx?”

 

“The Judge,” Libertus says, face white with fear. “I thought he was a myth but he came out of nowhere on a hellish looking chocobo and just took Nyx. I didn’t even know what was happening until he was gone-” Libertus cuts off suddenly, his breath coming out in uneven pants.

 

Ace feels a storm tickling the back of his neck. Ace looks up at Libertus and meets his friends fear filled eyes.

 

“It’ll be alright, Lib,” Ace says. He spins around to face the Just Judge and pauses, his hands clenched into fists at his side. He wants to rip into the Judge, to render flesh from bone and to tear him apart for daring to take Nyx away, for daring to frighten Libertus.

 

Ace wants his pound of flesh from the Judge; which is why he takes a deep breath before speaking to the headless figure in front of him.

 

“Hello,” Ace says, not bothering to keep the anger from his voice, “I’d like Nyx back.”

 

 _He is unworthy,_ a voice sounds in Ace’s head, _Reckless and angry._

 

Anger roars to life in Ace and it coats his next words. “Release him,” Ace hisses, _“He’s my friend.”_

 

 _Would he have left you if he were truly your friend?_ the Judge asks,

 

“Yes because _I made him because we would have all died if we stayed together,_ ” Ace says, “And now that I’m here, and that we’re all alive, _I want him back_.” Ace forces magic into his words, lets them boom and echo in the large room they are in. The ceiling above them shakes and small pieces of stone fall to the ground. Behind him, Libertus yelps in shock but Ace’s gaze doesn’t leave the Judge.

 

The Judge remains unmoved. _You have his loyalty,_ he notes, _Just as he has yours._

 

“I would gladly give my life for Nyx,” Ace confirms without hesitation.

 

Around them the air changes. It seems charged now, whether with Ace’s magic or the energy the Judge carries with him Ace doesn’t know.

 

What he does know is that he wants Nyx back.

 

There’s a flash of blue lightning and Ace hears someone groan. His heart flutters in his chest.

 

Nyx, he thinks just as Libertus yells the name. There’s a rush of footsteps behind him and Ace assumes that Libertus has gone to check on Nyx. He isn’t expecting to be pushed behind a tall, broad body. Ace blinks at the shoulders blocking his view.

 

Nyx, he thinks again, more dazed this time.

 

“Get away from him,” Nyx says, his voice hard, “He isn’t yours to take.” Nyx holds his kukri’s at the ready, as though he’s ready to fight the Judge head on if he even tries to attack Ace.

 

Ace’s heart does something funny. He ignores it.

 

 _Perhaps,_ the Judge says and this time Ace can feel it echo in his head, _You are worthy._

 

“Worthy or not, I’m not letting you hurt Libertus or Ace,” Nyx declares. The judge seems to consider something.

 

The chocobo lets out another wail.

 

Both it and the Judge dissipate into a rolling black mist.

 

Nyx turns to face Ace, relief stark on his face as he regards his childhood friend. “Are you alright?” he asks and Ace can’t help it.

 

He throws himself at Nyx and wraps his arms around his friends waist in a tight hug.

 

Nyx returns the embrace without a moment of hesitation. Both of them aren’t surprised when Libertus decides to pick both of them up in bear hug. Their laughter rings through the room.

 

Six, they’re alive. All of them, whole and alive and it’s a giddy feeling.

 

To know that they survived is a wondrous feeling. Eventually Libertus sets them down and they separate.

 

“I’m never,” Nyx says his blue eyes meeting Ace’s silver, “Leaving you to fight alone again.” Nyx says it as though it’s an oath and something in Ace soars. Something in Ace sings that Nyx is _his._

 

Ace ignores it.

 

“Yeah,” he says, “Well same goes for me you know? I’m not letting you two fight on your own either. The two of you get into too much trouble.”

 

“No arguments there,” Libertus says, “I’m just glad to have both of you back. Now let’s get out of here.”

 

Ace and Nyx agree.

 

* * *

 

They reach their hometown at noon the next day. Ace feels a smile spread across his face as he sees the familiar buildings, the faces of people that call out their names as they pass because they know who the three of them are.

 

It’s good to be home.

 

Selena rushes up to meet the three of them and Nyx picks her up as soon as she’s close enough and swings her around in the air. Selena squeals much like she did when she was smaller and both Libertus and Ace laugh.

 

When Nyx puts her down she pouts at him. “I haven’t seen you in a year and that’s how you greet me?” she demands, “I was expecting a ‘Oh, Selena you’ve grown so much.’ Or something like that.”

 

Ace laughs and reaches out to ruffle her hair. “Come on now,” he says, his smile turning into a grin as her pout deepens, “You should know Nyx better than that.”

 

“Urgh,” Selena says.

 

“Urgh,” Nyx, being the big brother he is, mocks.

 

Besides Ace Libertus snorts. “Like brother like sister,” he says.

 

Ace laughs at the almost identical pouts the siblings wear. “You two could be twins,” he teases, just to see the pouts turn into scowls.

 

“Anyway,” Selena says, a wicked twinkle in her eye as she remembered what she came to find them for, “Mom said that she, Carly, Katrina, and Sasha are going to be waiting for you at our old training grounds.”

 

Libertus, Nyx, and Ace all share a look.

 

“Well,” Libertus says, “It was nice knowing you guys.”

 

“Fuck,” is all Ace says.

 

“Who’s ready to get their asses kicked by our moms?” Nyx asks and Libertus and Ace groan.

 

They all head to their old training grounds anyway.

 

* * *

 

They do, in fact, get their asses kicked by middle-aged women who really shouldn’t be able to punch like that. They don’t get their asses kicked as badly as they would have a year ago but their asses remain kicked and their mothers remain disappointed.

 

“Did the Resistance teach you nothing?” Sasha, Libertus’ mother, asks.

 

“Don’t be so harsh,” Katrina says, “After all, they did do better than when they left.”

 

“Not by much,” Carly notes. Underneath the canopy, Ace hears either Nyx or Libertus groan. He’s too tired to figure out which one made the noise so he reaches out and pats the one closest to him on the face.

 

“There, there,” he says.

 

“Fuck off,” Nyx’s words come out muffled by Ace’s hand on his face.

 

Ace removes his hand from Nyx’s face.

 

Above them, their parents laugh.

 

* * *

 

Returning to normal life is weird. None of them stop scanning the rooms they enter for quick escapes. Ace keeps a small blade tucked into his boot at all time and he knows that Nyx and Libertus do the same.

 

Better to be safe than sorry after all.

 

The three of them get jobs at the local restaurant. Libertus takes orders, Nyx washes dishes, and Ace learns to cook from the head chef.

 

Life goes on.

 

Ace forgets more about what is coming.

 

* * *

 

Another year passes. It comes and goes far too quickly for Ace’s liking. Nonetheless, he turns seventeen. Ace is now technically an adult in the eyes of Galahdians.

 

As such, he gets tattoos. Ace’s tattoos consist of simple lines running down various parts of his body. On his left arm, a line runs from his wrist to his elbow, below it three smaller vertical lines take place. His throat bears a single thick, black line circling it and on the last finger of his right hand, there are three arrows pointing down.

 

Most of the tattoos merely symbolize adulthood. The arrows don’t. They are a message to others, a message that Ace is an informant and a warrior and that he’s someone they can trust.

 

The line on Nyx’s neck sends the message that he is a warrior. Libertus bears the same mark. They have chosen their paths, just as Ace has chosen his.

 

The night Ace gets his tattoos, Ardyn shows up.

 

“Still fighting?” Ardyn asks, leaning against a building, half his figure hidden in shadow, “Mind telling me why?”

 

“Niflheim doesn’t care for my people,” Ace says walking past Ardyn and ignoring Ardyn as he steps out of the shadows and into step with Ace, “I see no reason why I shouldn’t fight them.”

 

“Because you’re more than they are.”

 

“No,” Ace disagrees, “I’m not.” For once the silence that follows is almost comfortable.

 

It’s weird.

 

“Thank you,” Ace says finally, “For the information you’ve given me.”

 

“Oh, nephew,” Ardyn says, “You must know that you truly are such an interesting source of amusement.”

 

Ace turns seventeen, and eight months later, a week after Nyx turns eighteen, the world changes.

 

* * *

 

Ardyn arrives with the dawn. He wanders into Ace’s family home as if he owns the place with an uncharacteristic expression on his face. His lines are absent of any smirk or smile and his eyes are serious.  
  
Ace is immediately wary.  
  
“Why are you here?” Ace asks.  
  
“I believe I have come across some information vital to your survival.”  
  
Ace raises an eyebrow. “And that is?”  
  
“Niflheim ships are on the way,” Ardyn says and Ace’s blood runs cold, “They will be here in less than two hours.”  
  
“The rest of Galahd?”  
  
“Already under attack. I suggest leaving, _immediately_ .” Ace’s mind is already running through evacuation routes, where Niflheim will likely expect them to go. He catalogues the townsfolk into those who can fight and those who can’t. Ace turns to the old radio that his mother leaves on the kitchen counter and stumbles toward it. Ace turns it on only for static to fill the air.  
  
Ace is so caught up making plans that he almost doesn’t catch Ardyn’s words.  
  
“I have to warn them,” Ace argues, throwing on a pair of boots and lacing them up as quickly as possible. He brushes past Ardyn and is already out in the chill morning air when Ardyn yanks him backward by his shoulder.  
  
“I did not,” Ardyn says, black eating the whites of his eyes, “Invest in you merely so you could go kill yourself.”  
  
Ace meets his eyes and shrugs his shoulder off. “Perhaps you shouldn’t have invested in me at all then.”

* * *

 

As soon as Ace makes it to Nyx’s house, to warn Rosa and her family, he hears the clap of a bomb in the distance.

 

Rosa opens the door to a frantic Ace.

 

“You need to get the word out,” Ace says, the words falling like rain from his mouth, “Niflheim is coming. That wasn’t thunder, it was a bomb.”

 

Rosa’s eyes harden. “I’ll get as many as I can to safety,” she promises and Ace feels a kind of relief even as he hurries away from her house to find Libertus and his mother.

 

His friends aren’t going to die today.

 

He’s not going to allow it.

 

Soon enough the whole town is up, people crowding the streets and grabbing what they can as they weave through the throng of other people. Rosa, Carly, Sasha and Katrina, community figures that they are, try to direct the flow of people out of the city but there are only four of them and hundreds of others.

 

It doesn’t work. Their town doesn't have an official system of government. Ace feels panic bubble in his chest as he realizes it’s not working. People are hurrying past each other, some stop to help others and some leaving those that need help in the dust. It leaves Ace furious that others would abandon those who need their help so easily but a part of him understands their fear. The fear of death. Of dying is a strong one after all, and can compel even the most righteous of people into forsaking their morals.

 

Someone in the crowd screams. Niflheim soldiers descend from the skies.

 

What happens next isn't a fight, it's a slaughter. Ace watches as people he's known for most of his life get shot down. He watches as the chef he studied under gets shot in the back as he runs. Ace watches, frozen in shock, as people die around him.

 

In the span of a second, after he watches Rosa get gunned down; after he hears Nyx and Selena scream for their mother who is bleeding out in the dirt something in Ace breaks.

 

Around him, the wind picks up. He feels something heavy and sturdy in his hands. A staff, he realizes belatedly as the morning sky darkens and thunder screams in the air. Ace grips the staff in his hand tightly and strikes down the nearest soldier with it.

 

These are his people that are dying. This is his home that's being invaded and Ace-

 

Ace can't do anything but fight. He forces himself into a throng of Niflheim soldiers, he uses the bladed end of the staff to cut through metal and into flesh. Ace doesn't give a second thought to the gore he leaves as other Galahdians feel their panic turn to anger and they fight.

  
His people still die around him, but lightning falls from the sky and strikes down Imperial ships. His people still scream as they die, but they die fighting and Ace is so, so proud of them. His people fight to their last breath to defend the what they love because they know that only a few are getting out of this alive. 

 

Ace doesn't care if he's one of them. Nyx and Libertus will survive, Ace knows this in his heart of hearts, they will survive and that makes dying okay.

 

A familiar scream of rage catches Ace's attention and breaks whatever trance he had been in. He turns his head to find his mother lying in a pool of her own blood as his Aunt Carly cradles her in her arms.

 

She's dying and Ace's mother is already dead. Ace can see the blood pouring out of his Aunt's stomach, can see the way his mother's eyes stare blankly at the sky.

 

His family won't be surviving this either; that knowledge slams into Ace like a freight train and it terrifies him. He can die but those he loves-

 

They can't die.

 

_They can't._

 

"Mom...?" The words are barely a whisper and washed away by an intensifying storm. Still, his Aunt looks at him a crooked smile on her face. Ace can see her mouth form the word 'fight' before an Imperial soldier appears behind her and shoots her at point blank range in the end.

 

The way an executioner would. A scream rips itself from Ace's lips and the soldier who killed his Aunt dies in a blaze of purple flame. The rest of the battle is a blur for Ace, all he remembers is tearing into soldier after soldier. All he remembers if the feeling of helplessness and the urge to destroy everything that ever harmed what is his. He remembers crying out as a bullet grazed his shoulder and turning to see a soldier point their gun at him.

 

Ace remembers smiling. He remembers that smile fading as a sword cut through the soldier's chest.

 

The last thing he hears before everything goes black is Ardyn's voice.

 

Later, someone will tell Ace how the storm grew more violent midway through the massacre, how the lightning took down airships and the wind covered their tracks. They will tell Ace that they were protected by Ramuh that day.

 

Ace will smile, a sad, tired smile, and tell them not to put their faith in absence gods.

 

* * *

 

Ace wakes up.

 

It's unexpected. He wakes up on the forest floor with an old, scratchy, blanket beneath him. He feels dazed, as though everything that has happened was a dream. Then he remembers his mother, her blank eyes, he remembers the way his aunt's brains splattered.

 

He has the barest presence of mind to lean over and away from the blanket as he vomits.

 

Six, his family is dead, Rosa is dead. For all he knows everything has been taken from him; he feels his heart beat faster at the thought. He could be alone.

 

He doesn't want to be alone.

 

"Breathe," a deep voice just to his right says. Ace's head swirls to meet Ardyn's gaze, "You won't do yourself any favours if you send yourself into a panic."

 

"I should be dead," the words bubble up and spill over Ace's lips, "I should have died."

 

"You can thank me for saving you," Ardyn says dryly.

 

 _"I didn't want to be saved."_ The outburst startles Ace who clamps his mouth shut right after speaking.

 

Ardyn merely raises an eyebrow. "I suppose your family does have a martyr problem doesn't it?"

 

"I didn't-" Ace starts to protest only to fall short and start again, "-I didn't want to-"

 

"Live?" Ardyn questions, "Well, it's a bit too late for that. You're alive and well here."

 

"I don't want to be."

 

"But you are," Ardyn says, "Now the question is, what are you going to do now?"

 

Ace doesn't know how to answer that. 

 

"I suppose," Ardyn says when an answer isn't forthcoming, "That you could go and find your friends."

 

"They're alive?" Ace asks with his heart in his throat, "They're-"

 

"Alive? Yes. Your storm managed to wash away their tracks allowing them to escape successfully."

 

A laugh startles itself out of Ace, hysterical and relieved all at once.

 

"Oh," he says because he doesn't know what he would do without them, "Oh thank the Six."

* * *

Ardyn leaves after telling Ace where his friends are. For some reason, the staff Ace had used in the battle is next to the blanket he woke up on.

 

Ace forces himself to his feet and goes to find Nyx and Libertus.

 

He takes the staff with him.

 

Selena notices him when he arrives at their campsite before Nyx or Libertus. A cry startles itself out of her lips as she sees him. Ace knows he must look like a wreck, that the clothes he wore when the town was attacked are covered in blood stains, that his hair is no longer being held back in its standard braid and that all the bandage that is wrapped around his shoulder needs to be changed again as blood soaks through it.

 

Still, Ace manages a smile as her cry attracts the attention of Nyx and Libertus.

 

Tears well up in Libertus' eyes when he sees Ace and Ace can feel his own eyes water at the sight of his friends and Selena. He can feel tears streak down his dirtied face and doesn't try to protest as the other three pull him into a hug.

 

It turns into a sob fest fairly quick. Each of them crying for their losses from the day before. Each of them sobbing ugly sobs full of tears and snot and they hold each other close because at the moment they have nothing else left in the world but each other. Somehow they all wind up on the ground in the middle of the campsite, all of them refusing to let go of each other.

 

"Thought we lost you," Nyx mutters into Ace's hair his grip tightening, "Thought you died when you didn't follow. What happened?"

 

"I got lucky," Ace says because that's all there is to say, "That's all."

 

Tomorrow they will have to plan for the future, figure out what to do now that they are homeless and orphaned. Tomorrow they will have to decide a great many things but now, in the pile of bodies they've thrown themselves into, they let themselves bask in each others presence.

 

For now they have each other, and it doesn't ease the ache of loss each of them feel, but it gives them hope that they won't have to go through this alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if any of you feel like throwing something at me, i can totally understand why because I want to throw something at myself.
> 
> ha
> 
> ha
> 
> ha
> 
> *lies down and dies*


	6. Bury My Heart Beneath These Trees

**_Don’t we touch each other just to prove we’re still here?_ **   
**Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous**

* * *

 

Morning comes and brings with it a plethora of things they still have to deal with.

“We should go back,” Selena whispers from where she’s sandwiched between Ace and Nyx, “They deserve proper burials.” She doesn’t have to say who she means, once the attack started they knew that only a few would survive once the attack had started. They had known this and each of them want to go and give their townsfolk proper burials, to give the dead the respect they deserve.

But-

“We don’t know if there are still soldiers there,” Ace says, his mind turning over a dozen different scenarios in less than a minute, “We have no clue if they laid traps for any who would return to the village.”

“We have to try,” Selena argues, her dark eyes burning, “We have to do something.”

“Ace is right, Selena,” Nyx says, his voice strained, “We don’t know what’s waiting for us if we go back. It’s dangerous.”

“Everything is dangerous now,” Selena argues, “We don’t even have a home to return to! Our parents-” Selena’s voice cracks and for the first time Ace notices the tears welling up in her eyes, “-They all deserve graves. And I’m going to give one to them.” Selena finishes, her tone final and eyes steely despite the tears in them.

“I’m coming with you,” Libertus says standing. His eyes, still red from crying but determined fall on Ace, “If you want to come we can scout out the area before we go in.” Ace opens his mouth to protest, to say that there are too many dangers, too many unknowns for it to be even remotely safe before he closes his mouth again at the look in Libertus’ eyes. It’s the look of a man who will not be denied.

It’s the look of a man who just lost almost everything and will do anything to regain what was lost.

Ace sighs and looks at Nyx. “I’m going with Libertus,” he tells Nyx, “Someone has to keep him out of trouble. We’ll come back for Selena. We’ll keep her safe, don’t worry.”

Nyx’s lips curls upward in a sad smile. “I know we’ll keep Selena safe.”

Libertus blinks at the ‘we’. “You mean-”

“I’m coming with you,” Nyx confirms, “I can’t let the three of you wander off on your own.” You’re all I have left, goes unsaid but each of them hears it anyway.

“Alright,” Selena says, wiggling out of her spot between Ace and Nyx, “Let’s get going.”

* * *

The walk back to the town is quiet; Libertus and Ace take point, keeping their eyes open for anything or anyone that would seek to harm them. Nothing appears, and that in itself is eerie.

Stepping softly, both Libertus and Ace gesture for Selena and Nyx to stay put while they go and check to see if there’s any soldiers left in the town. Together, they scale a large tree overlooking most of the town and gaze down into what was once their home.

“It doesn’t look like anyone is there,” Libertus notes, his eyes darting from street to street, looking in vain for any signs of life.

“Doesn’t mean there isn’t anybody here,” Ace says, his eyes lingering on the entrances of buildings, “They could be hiding in the buildings for all we know.”

Libertus makes a sound of agreement. “We won’t know if there are any people inside those buildings until we get to the village though.”

Ace thinks about it for a moment before shrugging off the staff he was carrying on his back. The shaft of the staff is made from a dark metal that Ace doesn’t recognize. One end of the staff curves into a crescent, the shaft itself ends in the middle of the crescent and holds a white stone that glows softly.

The other end of the staff ends in a blade, a blade that Ace has used to end lives.

He doesn’t think about that and instead points the blade toward town.

“Think if I throw it into town it’ll lure out anyone in the buildings?” Ace asks.

Libertus considers. “Worth a shot,” he says shrugging.

Ace shifts so he’s holding the staff like a spear and throws it into the street. It manages an impressive distance before the blade lands in the dirt with a thunk.

Libertus and Ace hold their breath for a moment, then relax as no one comes to investigate the staff.

“Well,” Ace says, “Guess that settles that.”

* * *

The four of them walk into the ruins of their town slowly; keeping an eye out for any signs of life or movement. If any other survivors thought to come back they come across no signs that others had been there after the invasion.

Ace walks over to the staff still embedded in the ground, picks it up, and shrugs it onto his shoulder using the leather strap attached to it.

“Hey,” Nyx says from behind Ace, Ace turns to face him, a brow raised, “Where’d you get that staff anyway?”

Ace doesn’t know how to answer that. The only thing he recalls is feeling fear and anger and wishing for a weapon and one suddenly appearing in his hands. He isn’t sure if he accidentally accessed the armiger, as likely as it seems, and he isn’t sure how to access the armiger again to put the staff back where it came from.

Ace shrugs. “I think Ardyn gave it to me.”

“Ardyn gave you a weapon?” Nyx sounds disbelieving, Ace can’t blame him.

“I know,” Ace wrinkles his nose, “I accepted a gift from my trashy uncle. If I ever start wearing hats you have permission to leave me and save yourself.” That startles a laugh out of Nyx, and though it sounds hoarse Ace can’t help but smile.

It’s good to hear Nyx laugh.

The reality of where they are, what they are here for crashes down on them too soon; and before they know it, silence reigns again.

“We should see if we can find our parents,” Ace says, “I know where Carly and my mom are. Do you want me to come with you to see if we can find your mom?”

Nyx is silent, Ace casts a look at his face to see it strained and tight.

“Yeah,” Nyx says, his voice quiet, “I’d like that.” Without thinking, Ace reaches and grasps Nyx’s hand.

“Hey,” Ace says, his voice soft, “That’s what I’m here for. You have Libertus and Selena and me. You will always have us.”

Nyx’s lip quirk into a strained smile. “Sounds like a marriage proposal there.”

Ace lets go of Nyx’s hand and laughs. “Yeah,” he says, “Sure thing lover boy.”

They descend into silence again as they go looking for Rosa’s corpse.

* * *

In the end, they find Rosa’s corpse and Nyx can’t stop tears from welling up in his eyes.

Neither can Ace. Rosa had been a second aunt to Ace, Rosa had been family, strong and unyielding and Ace hadn’t ever thought she would die.

He should have known better, he should have remembered that this happened. That Galahd was the subject of massacres and that Nyx and Libertus were the survivors of one.

But he didn’t, and he hadn’t even known when one would occur, had it not been for Ardyn Ace himself wouldn’t have survived.

He isn’t sure whether or not he should be grateful for his uncle’s interference. Isn’t sure whether or not he still believes he should die; but there is one thing that Ace knows for certain and it’s that he’s not letting any harm come to his people ever again. If that means he has to be one step ahead of the Empire, if he has to play games and risk his own life then that’s fine as long as his people stay safe.

Ace will do anything to ensure Nyx, Libertus, and Selena stay safe.

Anything.

“We should bury her next to the house,” Nyx’s voice comes, soft and cracked, “She built it with my father. She would like to be buried with it.”

Ace nods.

* * *

Nyx carries Rosa’s corpse to their old home where they find Libertus and Selena scavenging what they can.

Selena is the first to see them. Her eyes immediately zero in on Rosa’s corpse and Ace’s heart breaks when he sees the tears well up in them.

“Mom…” Selena says, her voice desperate and cracking. Libertus places a hand on her shoulder and she lets out a shuddering breath.

“We need to dig a grave,” She says, her voice still cracking, “We need to dig graves for our parents.”

No one argues with her. “We’ll need shovels,” Ace says quietly, “My house, we used to have some in the shed there.”

“I can come with you,” Nyx offers. Ace shakes his head and gives his friend a sad smile.

“No,” Ace says, “Stay here with Selena, I won’t take long.”

“We should stick together,” Libertus points out, “I’ll come with.” Ace considers it for a minute before nodding.

“Yeah,” he says, “Sure.”

* * *

They make it to Ace’s former home and Ace himself takes in a shuddering breath as he eyes it. Where it not for the dead people lining the streets in front of his house, it would look as though nothing had changed.

There’s blood splattered on the outside walls of his childhood home.

Ace does his best to ignore it.

“Come on,” he says to Libertus and ignores the way his voice cracks, “You know where the shed is right?”

“Yeah,” Libertus says, voice soft as he takes Ace by the hand and guides him to the shed where Katrina kept various forms of tools.

Ace tears his gaze away from this home and follows.

* * *

When the two of them make it back to Selena and Nyx the siblings have already cleaned the area they plan to bury Rosa in.

Ace wordlessly hands Nyx a shovel. If their fingers brush for a moment longer than necessary neither of them mention it.

The four of them start digging.

* * *

Nyx lays Rosa’s body in the ground. He stands there for a moment, whether he’s praying or trying to imprint his mother’s face in his memory Ace doesn’t know. He doesn’t ask either. Ace merely stays quiet as Nyx pulls himself out of the hole the four of them had dug for Rosa.

When they are all standing above the grave again, Selena clears her throat and begins to speak.

“Hail Stormsender,” Selena says, and Nyx wraps his arms around her, “Take this soul into your embrace. May her deeds in this world grant her safety and serenity in the next. May she act as a beacon of light in these dark times. May she grant us her strength and compassion and guide us when we are lost,” Selena’s voice cracks on the next part, “May her rest be eternal and deep and may nothing part her from. Hail Stormsender, hear our words and extend your compassion.”

“Hail Stormsender,” the three men echo. Selena buries her face in Nyx’s chest and cries.

Nyx does nothing to hide his own tears. Neither do Libertus or Ace.

* * *

They bury Rosa. Then they look for Sasha, Libertus’ mother. Libertus asks to be left alone to perform her funeral rites.

They respect his choices and leave him. Ace squeezes his shoulder as he passes by and Libertus offers him a heartbreaking smile.

Nothing will hurt you like this again, Ace wants to say, to swear in oath and blood, but he doesn’t because he’s not sure he’d be able to keep that oath. No matter the fact he wants to.

When Ace, Nyx, and Selena are out of Libertus’ earshot, Ace turns to them and offers a small smile. “I think I need to see to my family alone as well,” he confesses, “I… I don’t want you to see them like this.” Ace thinks of his aunt’s brain matter splattered on the wall behind her and wipes away tears that well up in his eyes.

“Are you sure?” Nyx asks, “Neither of us would mind accompanying you.” It’s Galahdian tradition to hold a small ceremony with friends and family of the dead; like they did with Rosa, but Libertus and Sasha were never traditional and Ace’s own family barely adhered to tradition as well.

Ace thinks he understands Libertus’ desire to be left alone with the corpse of his mother.

“I’m sure,” Ace says and offers them a small smile, “I’ll find you before dark.”

“You better,” Selena says, “You’re family too.”

* * *

Ace doesn’t cry when he comes across the bodies of Katrina and Carly. He does not cry, he does not let the festering rage within him take hold just as he refuses to let the sadness waiting to burst from its dam flood his gaze.

Ace does not cry. Instead he gathers lightning his palm.

“Hail Stormsender,” Ace says, reciting an old prayer, “Hail the Fulgurian, Master of Souls and Eternal Rest,” The sky above him darkens, Ace pays it no mind, “May you take these souls into your embrace. May you gaze upon them fondly as they have gazed upon me.”

“Hail the Fulgurian,” Ace says again, lightning flashes in the sky above him, Ace pays it no mind, “Guard these souls against those who would turn them from the path of righteousness. Hail Stormsender, Master of the Just and Dead, remember the deeds of these souls in life. Remember their strength and courage, their joy and sorrow. Today I do not mourn in your honour, but theirs.”

“Hail Mother,” Ace says more softly, tears streaking down his face, “May you be blessed. Grant me your kindness and free spirit in the days ahead. Hail Aunt, be blessed for your fight is over at last; may you find the peace you sought here in the life that awaits you.”

“Hail Mother,” Ace repeats, voice cracking as he raises the hand he’s gathered lightning in, “Hail Aunt. Find peace in death that had found you far too early.” With that, Ace opens his fist and the lightning gathered there streaks from his hand and strikes the bodies of his family members.

They turn to ash just as the wind picks up. Ace takes in a shuddering breath and leaves.

* * *

When Ace joins up with the rest of his friends again, he says nothing of Libertus’ red face. Says nothing of how Nyx hands him the amethyst stones that Nyx must have gotten from Ace’s former home. The stones Ace’s family wore in their hair were amethyst, Libertus and Sasha wear turquoise, and even now Ace can see the blue stones in his hair. Selena and Nyx wear moonstone, while Ace has never threaded amethyst into his hair. Still, when Nyx presses the stones into Ace’s hand, he thinks it’s time too.

Ace gives Nyx a smile and stows the stones into his pocket.

* * *

They make it to the Haven they stayed the previous night at and discuss what to do.

“We need to get back to the Resistance,” Libertus says, “They have resources; and if we have any chance at surviving, it’s with them.”

“We could find a way off Galahd,” Nyx suggests, “It’s no longer safe here. I can’t just let Selena join the Resistance-”

“Why not?” Selena interrupts, “You joined when you were my age, why can’t I join now?”

“Because it’s more dangerous, Selena,” Nyx snaps, “Because I have to take care of you. You’re my sister. If anything happened to you I’d-”

Without thinking, Ace places a hand on Nyx’s shoulder. It’s alright, he tries to convey, we understand.

Nyx closes his eyes in frustration and gnaws at his bottom lip. “I worry about you Selena,” he says, “You’re my sister and just as reckless as I am. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Selena is quiet for a moment. “Galahd is my home,” she says finally, “I don’t want to leave my home. Not yet at least, not while there is something I can still do.”

Nyx heaves a sigh and opens his eye to look at his sister. Ace removes his hand from Nyx’s shoulder. “Yeah,” Nyx says, “I know that feeling. And we don’t exactly have a way off this island either. If we ever do decide to leave the Resistance is our best bet.”

Ace voices his agreement. “You guys are right,” he says, “The Resistance is our best bet. But we need another plan in case it all goes to shit anyway.”

“Do you think it will?” Nyx asks.

“I hope it won’t,” is all Ace says in return.

* * *

They head to Galahd Canyon, to the place where the Resistance base lays.

It doesn’t take long to notice something is wrong.

“Shit,” Ace breathes as he sees smoke rising from the cave that housed the base, “Shit.”

Beside him his friends are stunned. None of them can believe that the Imperials found the base; none of them want to believe it. Galahd Canyon is a mess of sheer cliffs and deep caverns, the thought that Niflheim troops found out where the base was is unthinkable.

But it happened.

Ace is the first to gather himself together. “We need to head to Acajutla. It’s the closest port; Ramuh willing, we can find work there or a way to the mainland.”

“But Galahd-” Selena protests.

“Will remain our home,” Ace says, “We will carry it with us wherever we go. But we must be alive to do so if we die, all is lost.”

Selena hesitates, but nods.

“Let’s go,” Nyx says, “There still might be members of the Resistance scattered in other cities and villages. If we run into any, they might be able to help us.”

* * *

They make it to Acajutla in a week. Immediately set out to sell the trophies of various animals they’ve had to slay in order to stay alive. Ace sells the horns of a Behemoth he killed, Nyx gets a fine price for the pristine pelt of a Coeurl, Selena sells the tusk of a Garula and Libertus sells the legs of a Redleg to a jeweller interested in making jewelry out of it.

Combined with the things they’ve managed to scavenge from their home and various other animal parts they sell when they put their money together, they managed to get a weeks stay at an average looking hotel. Due to a room shortage, the hotel has been swamped full of refugees the concierge explains, they wind up in the same room.

“Well,” Nyx says, “It’s better than sleeping on the ground.” Ace makes a noise of agreement. Selena throws herself on one of the double beds.

“This one is mine,” she declares, “No boys allowed.”

Libertus snorts. “What? You expect all three of us to share a bed?”

“Yes,” Selena says seriously, “As the sole girl of the group I get special privileges, like my own bed for one.”

“We’ve shared beds before Lib,” Ace says dryly, “It’s nothing new.”

“Yeah but that was before-” Here Libertus gestures between Nyx and Ace and Ace scrunches up his nose in confusion, “-That happened.”

“What happened?” Ace asks. Nyx coughs and Ace turns to look at him, “Nyx, what-” Ace doesn’t get to finish his question as Selena jolts out of the bed she’s claimed and all but drags Libertus through the door.

“We’ll be looking for work!” she calls over her shoulder, “Have fun! Talk about feelings! Goodbye!”

The door shuts behind them. Ace eyes a nervous Nyx suspiciously.

“Nyx,” Ace says, his voice soft, “What did she mean by talk about feelings?”

Nyx drags his hand down his face. “Listen, Ace,” he begins, “This isn’t a good time. Hell, I don’t know if there is ever a good time for this. But I think you deserve an explanation for how those two acted. Ace I-” Nyx breaks off for a moment, closes his eyes briefly before meeting Ace’s silver gaze with his blue one, “Ace, I like you. A lot. When I thought you had died I didn’t know what to do. I knew I had to keep the other safe but I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Ace can feel his face heating up, can feel the way his cheeks and the top of his ears burn. His hand covers his mouth in surprise. He hadn’t expected a confession, but Nyx’s confession, it makes a lot of things make sense. How Nyx reacted when Ace teased him about his crush, the lingering touches and soft gazes; how Nyx seemed almost panicked whenever Ace did anything risky.

Oh, Ace thinks, and for the first time allows himself to think of Nyx as something other than a friend. He thinks of Nyx as a lover and feels his heart beat faster, feels the flush on his face darken and just as Nyx looks as though he's about to speak Ace speaks instead.

"I like you too," Ace blurts out, "I just- never thought I'd have a chance."

Nyx laughs, disbelieving. "Why would you think that?"

_Because I thought I would die,_ Ace doesn't say, _Because you deserve someone better than the bastard son of a dying king. You deserve someone who can dedicate their entire life to you and not have it ripped away should the wrong thing be said to the right person. You deserve better than me._

"Because you're you," Ace says instead, "In case you haven't noticed, you're kinda out of my league."

Nyx presses his forehead against Ace's. Ace doesn't move away.

"If anything," Nyx says and Ace shivers to feel Nyx's breath on his lips, "You're out of my league."

Ace can't help the way his eyes move to look at Nyx's lips. "Hey Nyx," he says, "Can I kiss you?"

Nyx's lips turn up into a smirk. He answers by pressing a chaste kiss against Ace's mouth before pulling away. "That answer enough for you?"

"Yeah," Ace breathes and tangles his hands in Nyx's hair to pull him down for another kiss. The two of them stumble back onto the bed Selena had claimed before, and separate to laugh.

"Don't think Selena will be wanting this bed," Nyx jokes, his eyes warm in the white light cast by track lights on the ceiling.

"Brother germs," Ace replies, his tone serious despite the smile on his face, "Worst thing ever."

"Brother's boyfriend germs," Nyx says, "Second worst thing ever." Ace laughs and lets go of Nyx's hair tor each behind him to grab a pillow and whack Nyx with it. Nyx falls off the bed, laughing.

"So we're boyfriends, then?" Ace asks, amusement in his voice.

"If you'd like to be."

"Yeah," Ace says pulling Nyx up, "I think I'd like that."

* * *

Libertus and Selena come back to find Nyx sprawled atop of Ace and Ace running his hands through a sleepy Nyx's hair.

Neither of them bother to hide their smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there was supposed to be smut in this chapter but things got away from me and there is no smut *sadface* but there is a kiss! and feelings! and more feelings!


	7. Landscape With Storms

_I am a strange new kind of inbetween thing aren't I_

_Not at home with the dead nor the living_

**Antigone, trans. Anne Carson.**

* * *

 

 

They should probably talk about what happened. About the deaths of their parents and how they just seem to be wandering from job to job while in Acajutla without any real destination. Ace knows that they should talk about what happened, that bottling up their feelings will only make things worse in the long run, but whenever one of them try to bring it up to the others something happens. Either work gets in the way or one of them make an excuse to leave.

Ace knows that they are each mourning in their own ways, knows that time won’t heal the wounds left by the massacre of their village but that they still have to live. To honour the memory of their fallen friends and families.

He knows this.

It doesn’t make it any easier. There are times when Ace wants nothing more than to bury himself in Nyx’s arms and refuse to leave. Times when he just wants to tell Nyx that they are doing nothing that day and just spend the day lazing in bed. But they can’t do that, they can’t just laze about because they need money, because they have to look for jobs to keep themselves off the streets and to find someone willing to take their group out of Galahd.

They are going to leave Galahd, leave their home, the land where their hearts rest to find somewhere safer. Somewhere they can live without the fear of bombs dropping or magitek soldiers shooting everything in sight. They are leaving in hopes of a better life and Ace considers revealing himself to King Regis.

If it means that his friends would be safe, he would play the part of royalty gladly. But there are dangers that would come with being close to royalty so Ace shelves the idea of telling King Regis who he is for later.

They’ll be fine without the backing of the Citadel.

They have to be.

At night, Ace and Nyx share a bed. They find comfort in each other's arms and Ace takes comfort in the steady beat of Nyx’s heart. It reminds Ace that Nyx is alive, that he still has people in a world that took almost everything from him. At night, there are times Nyx clings to him harder than usual and time when Selena and Libertus all pile onto the double bed with Nyx and Ace.

Neither Nyx or Ace complain about being crowded, of having to sleep on top of Libertus and having Selena sleep on top of them. There is something nice, something calming about having everyone Ace cares about in one place. It reassures him that should anything happened he’d be able to protect them.

It’s on one morning when Ace wakes up with Selena using his chest as a pillow and his face shoved in the crook of Nyx’s neck, that as his eyes adjust to the sunlight filtering through the curtains, Ace feels the overwhelming urge to rip something to shreds overcome him. He feels the urge to hunt down every MT, every official in the Empire that dared to order, to allow, the attack on his home to occur and make them pay.

Ace takes a shuddering breath in, all too aware of the rainforest smell of his magic filling the room, and carefully extracts himself from the embrace of his friends.

He needs to do something. Ace doesn’t know what he needs, but he knows that he needs to do something.

He restless. He’s angry and grieving and he wants Niflheim in ruins.

They killed his family, hurt those he loves, they took his home, his mother, his aunt and Ace wants to see Iedolas scream.

Ace takes another breath in, and leaves the hotel room.

Maybe a hunt would make him feel better.

Logically, he knows that he should talk about this with his friends, with Nyx, but he doesn’t want to bother them. Ace doesn’t want to be a burden, his emotions, how he feels like a failure is his own burden to bear.

A part of him still thinks he should have done more. Should have used his magic to defend his people until he passed out or died. But he didn’t, and that feels more like a failure than it should.

Ace takes the stairs down to the hotel restaurant and asks for a hunt.

They give him one; a dangerous one, the tipster warns, an entire pride of coeurls are stalking near the village and scaring off traders.

In times like these? They need all the food they can get, it doesn’t matter that Acajutla is a port city if the only boats allowed in their waters are ones bringing food for Imperial Officers or bringing in more soldiers.

Ace takes the hunt without hesitation. When the tipster tells him to keep an eye out for another Hunter lost in the jungle Ace agrees.

It’s the least he can do.

* * *

Luche is, to put it bluntly, screwed. He ran out of bullets a while ago, his only defense now being the kukri that his aunt gave him before she had died. Luche curses, dodging the swipe of a coeurl that he had come across after completing his own hunt and turns his gaze toward the canopy.

If he had been facing another other than a coeurl, he would have considered climbing a tree. As it is, coeurls can climb, so even scaling a tree isn’t an option.

Luche eyes the coeurl and could swear that the beast is looking at him in amusement. It stalks toward him leisurely, as though Luche is a toy, something to play with.

He grits his teeth, his grip on his kukri tightening, and just as he’s about to launch himself at the coeurl, because he’ll be damned if he goes down without a fight, a figure drops from the canopy and lands on the coeurls back, driving the pointed blade of a staff into the coeurls.

The coeurl slumps to the ground, dead, and the figure slides off the coeurls back.

Luche blinks.

“What the fuck?” Luche says aloud, voicing his inner thoughts, “Was that?” That had to have been one of the most recklessly stupid things Luche has ever seen a Hunter do.

And it worked.

The figure blinks, turning from where he had been inspecting his weapon for damage, and Luche gets his first good look at the man that saved his life.

The man, or boy, it’s hard to tell, seems to be around seventeen or eighteen. Four years younger than Luche himself is. His eyes are a striking silver colour as they scan Luche’s body. It’s as if the other man is attempting to make sure that Luche isn’t visibly injured.

Luche is certain that he has more than a few bruises, but he’s been lucky that the coeurl that went after him wasn’t part of a pack. If it had been, Luche would be nothing more than a memory and bones.

“You’re not bleeding,” the figure says, brushing back a strand of curly black hair that had fallen out of the tight braid he kept his hair in, “That’s a good sign, the tipster was worried when you hadn’t checked back in.”

Luche rolls his eyes. “Young guy?” Luche guesses, “Around your age? Red hair?”

The man raises an eyebrow. “Yeah,” he agrees, “Has about three stitches on the right-hand side of his face. You know him?”

“Yeah,” Luche says, “That’d be Tredd. We came from the same village.” Something in the other man’s face softens at those words.

“I could tell he was worried about you,” the black haired man admits, “Asked me to look for you. Even offered to pay. I told him to keep the money, I could make more gil other ways. Besides,” the man quirks his mouth into a smile, “We all need to hang onto our gil these days, don’t we?”

Luche raises an eyebrow. “We do,” he agrees, his tone curt. He’s surprised that the other man didn’t take the money Tredd offered. He’s not sure whether that’s foolish or kind but Luche appreciates the gesture nonetheless.

It means that he and Tredd will have more money for food.

“I should be getting back,” Luche says, “Wouldn’t want to worry Tredd more than he already is.”

The man hums in agreement, casting an eye to the canopy as though he’s able to see through it. “I should be heading back as well,” he notes, lowering his gaze to meet Luche’s eyes, “It’s almost dusk. And I’m sure neither of us wants to be out here when the sunsets.”

The mention of the night has Luche almost nervous, he remembers the night Niflheim attacked. The cries of hungry daemons still fresh in his mind.

“We’d be safer in numbers,” the man’s voice, smooth as silk breaks through the memory, “If you wouldn’t mind my company that is.”

Luche nods. “It would be safer travelling together,” Luche admits, “I take it you’re heading to the city?”

The man laughs. “I am,” he says, “Out of curiosity, what’s your name?”

Luche is silent for a moment before answering. “It’s Luche,” he says, and watches as the man blinks slowly, as though he’s heard the name before, “And you are.”

“The name is Ace,” the man introduces himself, “Now that we have that out of the way. Follow me, I know the way back.”

“I hope you do.”

* * *

Luche, Ace finds, makes surprisingly decent company. The man’s snark is refreshing and Ace finds himself having fun with Luche. When Ace had saved Luche, when Luche had introduced himself, Ace had been unsure of what to make of the older man. He had recognized the name, had seen the features of a different Luche in this young man's face. Ace had heard Luche introduced himself and his blood had run cold as memories he had almost forgotten played through his head. He knows Luche, knows that Luche and Tredd are traitors, knows that they betray Nyx and Libertus.

Ace knows this. Despite that the banter between them comes easy, they tease each other over little things and Luche scoffs at the ‘jumping from a tree onto a coeurls back’ tactic that Ace used.

Luche called that tactic madness.

Ace called it inventive; their banter falls short as the city lights come into sight and as they enter the city just before dusk they take a moment to look at it.

Acajutla, compared to other places that were hit, seems pristine almost. The debris that litters the street is few and far between, many of the buildings are still intact. The street lights are still bright and glowing and Ace wishes that his own town was still standing. That his town had been as lucky as Acajutla had been.

Ace sighs, a little wistful, and turns toward Luche. The other man’s face mirrors the expression that Ace had while looking at the city. Almost everyone in Acajutla is a refugee now, each of them having been driven from their homes. Having watched their loved ones die. Each of them lost something that cannot be replaced and when Ace looks at Luche, Ace finds himself understanding what would drive the man to betray Lucis.

Luche looks at the city with an unmistakable fondness in his eyes. Yet despite that, there is sorrow and rage there too. As though he knows the fate of his home and would do anything to change it.

Ace knows that feeling all too well. It is the same feeling that had lit the fire in his gut that urged him to join the Resistance. It is the need to do something, to help his people, to drive those that would hurt them away so that they can never hurt them again. Ace knows the look in Luche’s eyes, can understand why Luche would betray Lucis after hearing the news of the treaty, because the idea, the very thought of Regis stopping the war without giving Ace’s people back their home is-

Rage inducing. Ace doesn’t know what he’ll do, has no plans, and while a part of him still thinks he should die; that he will die and the plot will take shape as it had in the video game. Another part of him thinks that he could change it, that he could ensure that Nyx and Selena and Libertus survive. That he could change things and ensure that Niflheim never gets the chance to hurt those that Ace has claimed as his.

“Well,” Ace says finally, tearing his gaze away from Luche and running his eyes across the city, “We’re here. I suggest you go and reassure your friend that you’re alive. I should do the same with mine.”

“You’re right,” Luche agrees, and looks down at Ace, “It was a pleasure meeting you. Perhaps our paths will cross again one day.”

Ace grins wryly. “I don’t doubt it.”

* * *

Walking back into his shared hotel room after receiving the gil from the hunt he had completed Ace almost turns around and leaves again when Libertus gives him a disappointed look.

“I left a note,” is Ace’s only defence. Libertus’ disappointed gaze deepens. Ace shifts awkwardly.

“We all agreed that we would pair up for hunts,” Libertus points out, dragging his eyes down Ace’s form in an attempt to spot any injuries, “Mind telling me why you disregarded that?”

Ace is silent for a moment. He can’t tell Libertus that he had to go, that he had to leave their group and wander by himself because his magic had demanded blood. Had demanded that Ace find the Imperial officials in the city and make them pay. He can’t tell Libertus that even now his magic seems to throb restlessly, that it wants to tear into something.

Ace is hurting, his magic is hurting as if it knows what has been done to Ace’s people; to Galahd as a whole. It’s as if his magic and the land are connected.

It’s a silly thought, and Ace pushes it from his mind as soon as it appears.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I needed some time,” Ace admits, “I don’t-” Ace doesn’t know how to continue, how to tell Libertus that something in him wants to make everyone that hurt Galahd and its people pay. Ace doesn’t know how to explain the rage and grief in him. The way he sees Imperial officials in the city and wants to slit their throats.

He knows why he feels this way, knows that the deaths of his family, the destruction of his town is making him feel this way. But just because he knows why he’s feeling this way doesn’t mean that he understands how to deal with it.

He tries to think of the grief counselling he had when he learned he was dying in his other life. But the memories are vague and unfocused and Ace doesn’t know what to do.

Something in Libertus softens. Ace can see the pity and understanding in Libertus’ eyes and it’s the last thing he wants to see right now.

“I brought back enough gil to ensure we can stay here for another week,” Ace says, changing the subject, “I’m heading back out.”

“Ace-”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

With that, Ace turns on his heel, and leaves the hotel room.

* * *

Ace wanders the city without a destination. He avoids the bar that Nyx picks up the occasional shift at, he wanders until he finds himself in an alley near the market, one of the few refugees unfortunate enough to not have a roof over their avoid because of the crime element in the area. Pickpockets and thieves are notorious in this portion of Acajutla, and with the current turmoil that has fallen upon the land, it wouldn’t surprise Ace if people went after other’s beads.

Galahdian family beads are made of precious and semi-precious stones, each stone is carved with a different animal associated with either the person who wears the bead or their family. Many people wear both a personal bead and a family bead, it’s considered almost dishonourable to not wear the beads of your family in some way. It shows a lack of respect, a lack of pride in your roots.

Many wear their beads on bracelets pulled taut against their wrists, others wear them in their hair. Wearing your beads in your hair is considered a mark of pride. It’s a way to honor your ancestors and family every day of your life. Despite the honour, wearing your beads in your hair shows that you understand your family’s traditions, that you will do your best to respect them and in many ways, it’s like taking an oath. An oath that you will uphold your family’s beliefs, that you will carry your family’s legacy and not tarnish the name you bear.

Ace doubts that many would take the beads of another’s family forcefully, but he doesn't doubt that it happens. He doesn’t doubt that there is some Imperial that is willing to buy those beads and turn them into something else.

Ace fiddles with the amethysts on the leather bracelet he wears. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever be ready to wear his mother’s beads in his hair. Doesn’t know how he's supposed honour his family’s legacy of protection and compassion when he doesn’t think there is any room in him for compassion anymore.

Ace will care for his people, he will care for Nyx and Libertus and Selena because they are his. But what use is compassion, is protecting those who aren’t yours when all it will give you is heartache in the end?

“Someone is mournful tonight,” a voice from the darkness says, and it’s only Ace’s long familiarity with Ardyn that prevents him from taking the staff on his back and attempting to kill Ardyn with it.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Ace says dryly, turning to face Ardyn. The man looks the same as he did when Ace saw him last, all sharp lines and defined features. The moonlight turns Ardyn’s skin ghastly pale and it makes Ace pause.

Makes Ace wonder if Ardyn is here to kill him.

* * *

Ardyn finds Ace fiddling with the amethyst beads on a leather bracelet he’s wearing. The beads themselves are new, Ardyn has never known his nephew to wear the beads of his mother's’ family. Perhaps the death of Ace’s maternal family has changed Ace in some way.

Perhaps it’s made him more sentimental. If so, if Ace is still grieving, then perhaps Ardyn can use that some way.

Ardyn ignores the way his stomach almost ties itself in knots at the thought of manipulating Ace. Ardyn hasn’t felt guilt for his manipulations in years, he’s not about to start now.

Then Ace looks at him. Looks at Ardyn as though he’s waiting for death. Ace looks at him and the moonlight casts shadows on his features; makes Ace look like a legitimate prince.

It doesn’t escape Ardyn’s notice that while there is certainly something royal about Ace’s features, Ace looks nothing like Somnus. Somnus had blue-black hair and Ace’s hair is darker, blending almost seamlessly into the shadows around him. Besides that, Ace’s eyes are silver rather than the blue that is so common in the line of Lucis.

Ace’s face isn’t sharp as his ancestors, rather there is a softness to it. As though Ace was made for a time of peace, not the war he had been thrust into.

A war that was at least partially Ardyn’s fault.

Ardyn doesn’t feel guilty for the war, doesn’t regret starting it. He is a man of vengeance after all and even were he to admit that he felt some sort of affection toward Ace it wouldn’t be enough to dissuade him from his goal.

“So?” Ace says, “Why are you here?” And it’s then, that Ardyn notices the magic around Ace. It’s then that Ardyn notices how the air seems charged, as though Ace is barely holding back a spell.

Ardyn had noticed the tense line of Ace’s shoulders before, had seen how Ace seem to bend under the weight of Ardyn’s old staff on his back. Ardyn has seen how Ace seems to rein himself in.

As though he’s preventing something from lashing out. If Ardyn focuses, he can almost see the static charge in the air, can almost taste Ace’s magic on his tongue.

Ace is a ticking time bomb, a kindling ready to ignite at the slightest provocation.

As amusing as it would be to see Ace burn and take everything with him, Ardyn has other plans.

When he tells Ace to follow him, that he has two last lessons for the boy, it has nothing to do with the unease Ardyn feels when he thinks of Ace’s magic burning him up.

* * *

“Follow me,” Ardyn says, “I have a few final lessons for you.”

Ace blinks, then snorts. “And you expect me to follow you? In the dark?”

Ardyn looks over his shoulder at Ace and raises a brow. “If I wished for your demise,” Ardyn says, a smirk pulling his mouth, “I would leave you here. Let your magic consume you until you’re nothing but a hollow shell. A ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No,” Ardyn says, “Merely an observation. You, my dear nephew, are becoming a liability. And there is nothing I hate more than a liability.”

Ace rolls his eyes, but he’s curious now, wondering if Ardyn has an answer as to how to quell the raging storm within him.

When Ardyn turns and walks into the jungle, Ace follows.

* * *

Ardyn leads him away from the city. Ardyn leads him to a clearing far enough away from the city that no one will think to look for them there.

When Ardyn stops, he turns to Ace and says two words that cause Ace to stumble backwards.

“Let go,” Is all Ardyn says.

“What?” Ace says, even as the magic under his skin surges forward, “What are you talking about?”

Ardyn’s eyes darken. “You know what I’m talking about,” he says, “I can almost taste the storm caged in your body. I can feel your magic prickling at the air around you. I can almost see how it begs to be let loose, to wreak havoc on those who wronged your people.”

Ace opens his mouth to speak, to deny the accusation.

“You think to deny it?” Ardyn says, reading Ace easily, “You think that denying it will change anything? That it will stop magic from burning through you the way fire burns through a forest? There is a reason your family chooses to share its magic. It is because should they attempt to keep it to themselves, they would burn out at a much faster rate,” Ardyn takes a step toward Ace, “Magic is meant to be used. Use it.”

Ace thinks of the final night of his town, of the helplessness he had felt watching his aunt and mother die. Ace thinks of the storm of magic under his skin and for the first time in a long time, it terrifies him.

“Here I thought,” Ace says, “That you had been teaching me control for all these years.”

Ardyn laughs, harsh and cruel. “Oh, nephew,” he says, “Here I thought you had known that part of learning control is to knowing when to let go of it.”

“If it’s all the same to you,” Ace says, “I’d rather not.”

Something dark glitters in Ardyn’s eyes, the next time Ardyn speaks the words are crueler than they have been in a long time.

“Oh?” Ardyn says, “You would rather join your family in the beyond? Would you rather face the disappointment of your aunt and mother than to continue the arduous task of living? I never knew you for a coward nephew. But it seems that the truth of your blood has finally shown itself.”

“That’s enough,” Ace says, voice hard. Around them, the wind picks up and overhead the sky darkens.

“Do you think death to be so comforting, Ace?” Ardyn asks, letting the Scourge darken the whites of his eyes, “Do you think that death is easy? That dying is easy?”

“Don’t you dare,” Ace snarls, thinking of how he wasted away slowly, thinking of how his body failed him and it felt like ice had wrapped itself around his veins, “Don’t you dare assume I don’t know what death is like. That’d I’ve never felt how cold it is to die. That I think that death is easy. Don’t you dare assume you know anything about me.”

Ardyn tilts his head. “And how would you know how death feels like, nephew mine? How would you know how it feels like when death drags its claws into you? How would you know death's embrace more intimately than I?”

“Because I died,” Ace yells, the wind whipping his hair around him, “Because I wasted away in quarantine. Because I’m living a life someone else should have had. Because you’re right. Because I’m an extra, a chess piece no one wants. Because I should have been the one that died.”

Ardyn surges forward and rather than turn and run Ace rams himself into Ardyn’s chest and knocks them both to the ground.

“Don’t,” Ace hisses as lightning flashes above them, “Ever presume to think you know anything about me ever again.”

“Let go,” Ardyn says, his voice gentle despite everything, “Let go.”

Something in Ace surges forward and breaks free. His scream is lost in the sound of thunder, of rain pounding against the ground below them. Around them the earth cracks and shakes and before Ace knows what he’s doing before Ace can think of how this might be a bad idea he’s clutching Ardyn’s scarf and openly sobbing.

One of Ardyn’s hands come up and pull Ace close to Ardyn’s chest.

Ace’s grip on Ardyn’s scarf tightens.

They stay like that until the storm passes. Until Ace stops shaking and his sobbing is reduced to shaky breaths.

They are drenched when the storm finally stops, Ace’s hair is tousled and windblown, stands of curls hang in front of his face and the braid he wore his hair in has all but come undone due to the wind and the storm.

When Ace lets go of Ardyn and moves to stand he feels lighter. For the first time in weeks, he can think clearly, it’s as if the pressure that had been mounting in him had disappeared. It’s as if he’s free of the overwhelming feeling of loss that had all but consumed him.

The grief is still there, as is the rage, but without the pressure of his magic demanding blood for blood both are manageable.

Ace stands and tilts his head toward the sunlight that’s streaming out from behind the clouds.

He smiles. Sunlight dances across his brown skin and Ace is overcome with the sudden urge to sing. He can feel his magic digging itself into the dirt below him, can feel his magic entwining itself into the trees and rocks and Ace knows he should probably stop it.

He doesn’t.

Ace takes a deep breath and turns to offer to help Ardyn up. Ace blinks when he finds Ardyn already standing, and his smile turns into a grin when he sees the amount of mud that Ardyn is covered in.

Ace himself isn’t much better, but there is something dastardly amusing about seeing Ardyn of all people covered in mud.

Ardyn makes a face of disgust as he takes in his clothes. “I must thank you nephew,” Ardyn drawls and pulls a hat out of the armiger, “For the unneeded makeover.”

“Not a problem,” Ace says, his voice equally dry.

It’s then that it hits him that the sun is up.

That he has been gone the entire night.

Ace curses and looks at Ardyn. “I hate to cut this short,” Ace says, “But I need to go.”

Ardyn raises an eyebrow. “You’re going back to your friends, I presume?”

“Yeah,” Ace says, “I’ve been gone the entire night, they must be worried.”

“Safe travels, Ace,” Ardyn says, for once the farewell is not mocking, “I’ll see you later tonight.”

“For the last lesson?”

“Indeed.”

* * *

Ace hesitates outside the hotel room he had left in such a hurry last night. He knows that all four of them need to talk. That Ace should explain himself. Ace knows that he had acted rashly yesterday and that the others deserve to know why.

Ace takes a breath and enters the room. Three sets of eyes land on him.

Ace waves.

“Ace,” Libertus says, his voice a mix of anger and relief, “You little shit.”

Nyx is looking at Ace the same way, as is Selena. Ace drops his hand to his side and sighs.

“I think,” Ace says, “That we need to talk.”

So they talk. They talk of their grief and rage and how much it fucking hurts to be the last of their family. Ace explains himself and by the end of it all four of them wind up in a puppy pile on one of the beds.

“We’re idiots,” Nyx says, his voice muffled by Ace’s hair, “For not talking about this sooner.”

“Yeah,” Selena agrees, “We are.”

Libertus makes a rumbling noise of agreement from beneath them. Ace laughs.

“Yeah,” Ace says, “But we’re each other’s idiots.”

* * *

Libertus and Selena leave the room a while later to search for food. Ace fiddles with the amethyst on the bracelet he wears. Runs his hands across the carved star in it.

He looks at Nyx, sees the moonstone in Nyx’s hair, and Ace bites his lips, considering.

He could ask Nyx to braid his hair. They are lovers, but before they were lovers they were friends, it wouldn’t be odd for Ace to ask Nyx to braid his hair. In Galahd, the only people others allow to braid their hair are people they trust wholeheartedly.

Ace trusts Nyx more than he knows what to do with. Ace trusts Nyx with his life.

Ace lets his fingers trace over the three-pointed star on his bead one last time before he speaks.

“Nyx,” Ace says, his voice quiet, “I have a question.”

Nyx looks at Ace curiously. “Yeah?” he says, “What is it?”

Ace hesitates for a moment. “Would you braid my beads into my hair for me?” Surprise flickers on Nyx’s face, “You don’t have to,” Ace adds quickly, “I just thought that-”

“Ace,” Nyx interrupts, moving to cup Ace’s face with one hand, “I would be honored to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this just in, i still can't write three things: emotions, ardyn, or descriptions.   
> *flops* why.
> 
> anyway, i have. news I suppose? if you follow me on tumblr you probably know that i'm going to animethon in edmonton this year so don't expect any updates from august tenth to twelveth. if you want to know more about who im gonna be cosplaying there (its prompto) then hmu at my tumblr: sparklecryptid.tumblr.com


	8. Shrike

_Remember me, love,_

_When I am reborn._

_-Hozier, Shrike_

* * *

 

Ace wakes from the dream to the crack of thunder and the sound of rain slamming against the roof of the hotel. He groans, burying his face into Nyx’s bare chest that Ace is currently using as a pillow. He doesn’t want to get up; doesn’t wait to face the fact that the only reason that they’re still in this hotel is because they’ve been dipping into the savings that were supposed to get them off of Galahd and away from Imperial forces.

None of them are fools. Niflheim had attacked once like this before; when they were children and Libertus was trapped under rubble and Nyx had been saved by Regis. It wasn’t a fight then, it was a slaughter, and from the reports that the four of them have gathered from other refugees, this attack had been worse. Entire cities were laid to waste, farmers fields were salted and burned and livestock killed. The Empire is killing indiscriminately, making sure that none of them have anything left to go home to.

After all, Galahd has no Haven’s; there are no safe places from the dark if they venture beyond the city limits when there is no daylight. One has to keep a fire going all night to keep the daemons at bay; and even then there’s a risk of dying. As such, while Nyx and Libertus had somehow managed to wrangle a part-time job at the local bar, Ace and Selena were stuck job hunting while they looked for hunts that could be taken close to the city.

The storm isn’t out of season, it’s only March after all. The rain season itself; the one that Galahd is so famous for; doesn’t end until early May.

Still, while the storm isn’t out of season, Ace can’t help but think of what happened in the dream he had been woken from.

The Just Judge was there; his Chocobo screaming a wail into the canopy of the trees around them. Despite the fact that the Judge is headless, Ace couldn’t shake the feeling that the Judge had been staring into his soul. As if he was debating Ace’s worth.

Then the Judge had turned his mount into the opposite direction and disappeared into the storm. For some reason; Ace couldn’t shake the idea that the Judge wanted Ace to follow him.

Ace had woken up before he could.

A soft kiss is placed on Ace’s forehead and Ace blinks, startled by the movement from the man he thought was asleep.

“Nyx?” Ace says, surprise evident in his voice, “I thought you were sleeping.”

Nyx chuckles, the sound vibrating pleasantly against Ace’s face that is pressed against Nyx’s chest. “I was,” Nyx admits, “Your thinking woke me up.”

Ace flushes, embarrassed at being caught thinking so intently but even more embarrassed that he’s that easy to read.

“I’m not going to apologize,” Ace says, tilting his head so he’s staring up at Nyx’s steel-blue eyes, “We’ve known each other for almost ten years now; you should take responsibility for not being able to sleep through my loud thinking.”

“So it’s my fault you woke me up with how intent you were staring at my chest?”

“It’s a very nice chest,” Ace defends himself, “You should be proud of it.”

Nyx smirks. “Oh, trust me,” he says, “I know it is-” Ace interrupts whatever Nyx is going to say by laughing at the ease with which Nyx slides into being a cocky asshole.

Unknown to Ace, Nyx’s eyes soften. A small smile making its way across his features as he gazes at Ace’s joy filled face.

When Ace opens his eyes to find Nyx staring he can’t help but tease back.

“Now who’s staring?” Ace says, smile still on his face.

“Can’t a man stare at his lovely boyfriend?” Nyx asks. Ace refuses to look away even as a flush fills his brown cheeks.

“Come now, handsome,” Ace says, teasingly, “I’m not the only pretty one here.”

“I’m sure you’re far more lovely than I could ever be.” There’s something in Nyx’s face that makes Ace refrain from teasing Nyx more. There’s something serious and soft and filled with such affection it causes Ace’s breath to catch.

“You keep calling me lovely,” Ace says, tilting his head in such a way that his and Nyx’s lips are almost touching, “That a new nickname?”

“Could be,” Nyx mutters, tilting his own head down so he can brush a kiss against Ace’s lips, “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of calling you it, Lovely.”

Ace’s face burns with the blush that spread across his cheeks.

“Dork,” he says instead, pushing away from Nyx and breaking the moment between them, “I’m going to have a shower.”

“I’m your dork,” Nyx says, “And don’t use all the hot water!”

Ace laughs.

“No promises!”

* * *

After they both have their showers, and Nyx spent the ten minutes after Ace’s shower waiting for the hot water to return by braiding the amethyst beads back into Ace’s dark hair. Ace himself runs his hands through Nyx’s hair and marvels at it.

Nyx’s hair, while black like Ace’s own, isn’t a true black; rather it seems more of a very dark gray. To say Ace loves it would be an understatement. Nyx’s hair feels like silk; thinner than Ace’s own hair but softer than Ace’s hair as well.

Perhaps though, what Ace loves most about Nyx’s hair doesn’t have much to do with the hair itself and more to do with the fact that Nyx let’s Ace braid moonstone beads with coeurls etched into them into Nyx’s hair.

It’s always an intimate moment whenever they braid each other’s hair. A sign of trust, of companionship, a sign that they have each other’s backs. Galahdians don’t just let anyone braid their hair after all.

Ace had been rendered breathless the first time he allowed Nyx to weave Katrina’s beads into his hair. Ace had been breathless and in awe of how gentle, how tender Nyx had been in that moment. How delicately Nyx’s hands, strong hands that could kill in a moments notice, had braided Ace’s hair as if Ace was allowing Nyx a luxury Nyx had never thought he’d have.

After that Nyx had granted Ace the right to braid Nyx’s own hair. And Ace would be lying if he said that the first time he’d done it his hands weren’t shaking. But now, weeks after the first time they braided each other’s hair, Ace finds the motion of braiding Nyx’s hair soothing. The repetitive movement of his hands and the gentleness of the moment making Ace smile and allowing him to relax for the time it takes for him to finish the braids.

“There,” Ace says, reluctantly letting the second, and last, braid fall from his hand, “You’re good to go.”

As soon as the words leave Ace’s mouth Nyx lets himself fall on top of Ace. Lett’s out a small laugh, Ace lets Nyx’s weight forced him to lay on the bed.

“What’s gotten into you?” Ace wonders, looking down to see Nyx’s blue eyes staring up at him.

Nyx hums, low in his throat, and presses a kiss to Ace’s jaw. “Nothing,” he mumbles moving so he’s sitting up and straddling Ace’s hips, “I’ve just been thinking.”

“Hmm,” Ace says, allowing Nyx to draw him into another kiss, “Thinking about what?”

“About how lucky I am,” Nyx confesses, drawing back to stare into Ace’s eyes, “About how lucky I am that we all survived. About how damn lucky I am that you, Selena and Libertus survived.”

Ace’s heart aches at the words that spill from Nyx’s mouth. “We’re all lucky,” he says quietly, a hand coming up to stroke Nyx’s cheek. Nyx leans into the touch, his eyes fluttering closed.

“Yeah,” Nyx agrees, “We are.”

Ace takes a moment to study Nyx, to watch how the fluorescent lights of the hotel room they are in cast shadows on his boyfriend’s face. He takes a moment to marvel at Nyx’s simple beauty, to take in the sharp jawline and high cheekbones of Nyx’s face. Ace lets his thumb stroke the top of Nyx’s cheek and laughs when Nyx makes a pleased noise.

“You’re like a cat,” Ace teases. Nyx opens his eyes, a small smirk teasing thin lips.

“And you’re not?” Nyx asks, “All things considered I’m surprised you don’t purr.”

Ace laughs then, light and airy and his eyes crinkle close so he misses how Nyx’s gaze softens. “Maybe you just haven’t gotten me to purr yet,” Ace says, a smile teasing the edge of his mouth as he opens his eyes to stare at Nyx.

“Is that a challenge-”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Both of them turn their gaze toward the door. The gentleness of the moment between them gone as the two of them cast worried gazes at each other. Libertus and Selena had already gone out looking for work and they both have keys to the room. There is no reason for them to be knocking.

Cautiously, Ace tests the air for the familiarity of Ardyn’s magic and scowls when he finds the fire bright edge of it beyond the door.

Withdrawing his hand Nyx’s face, he gently slaps Nyx’s thigh in a silent request for Nyx to get off. Nyx sends Ace a curious look but compiles.

“Do we know who it is?” Nyx asks, trusting in what Nyx and Libertus call Ace’s sixth sense regarding people they know. Ever since Ardyn had taught Ace how to sense people he’s familiar with, how to recognize the energy others extrude as a way to know when someone is approaching Ace has been using the technique whenever there’s a knock on the door.

Nodding his head, Ace sighs and pushes himself off the bed.

“Only one person could make a knock sound pretentious,” Ace says dryly, walking over and unlocking the door.

Nyx makes a face as Ace walks past him.

“You’re uncle has the worst timing.”

“Don’t tell him that,” Ace says, “It’ll only fuel his ego.” Finally, Ace opens the door to find Ardyn there. Smirking as if he had heard everything Ace and Nyx had said since he arrived. While Ace isn’t sure what abilities the Scourge gives Ardyn he wouldn’t put it past his uncle to have superhuman hearing.

“Ardyn,” Ace says, an eyebrow raised, “To what do I owe this visit?”

“Why Aether dear-”

“What the fuck-”

“-I did tell you I had a few final things to teach you before I send you off to face the large, terrifying world alone! I’ve come to teach you those final things,” Ardyn continues as if Ace hadn’t interrupted him.

For his part, Ace is wondering what the fuck is with being called ‘Aether’. He has a name and it is not Aether of all things.

For now, though, there are more important things to quiz Ardyn about.

“It’s raining like Ramuh’s having a fit and you want me to go out with you to train?”

An amused grin twists Ardyn’s lips. “Who’s to say that he’s not having a fit?”

“He’s still sleeping,” Ace says doubtfully, “All the Astrals are still sleeping.”

The look on Ardyn’s face, amused as if Ace is missing something, sends something cold scattering down Ace’s spine. Before he realizes what he’s doing, he’s pressing a kiss to Nyx’s cheek, throwing the staff that he still isn’t sure how he got onto his back and waving goodbye to Nyx.

“Ace,” Nyx calls out just as Ace steps through the door, “Where are you going?”

“Ardyn has a thing or two left to teach me,” Ace calls back, “Said he also had a job. I’ll be back before nightfall. Don’t worry.”

Before Nyx can respond, can ask to come with Ace, Ace shuts the door behind him and hurries down the hall toward his uncle.

“You better have an explanation,” Ace warns.

Ardyn’s grin is grim. “When don’t I?”

Ace snorts.

* * *

Ardyn makes meaningless conversation as they exit the safety of the city Ace has been staring in.

“-really though,” Ardyn says once they enter the jungle, “You should have known, nephew, that bringing a storm like that to the Isles would garner the Stormsender’s attention.”

“What?” Ace asks, “What are you talking about?”

Ardyn’s mouth twists into a smile. “What do you think, dear nephew?” he says, “I speak of the storm you called, the tempest you caused when you let your emotions get the better of you. What other storms would I speak of? What other tempests would be strong enough, would be interesting enough to gather the Fulgurian’s attention?”

“Are you saying I woke him up?” Ace says disbelievingly, “I’m no Oracle. I don’t have that power.”

“Oh, but Ace Aether,” Ardyn says, his eyes gleaming as Ace bristles at the addition of Aether to his name, “You’re a Lucis Caelum, despite how much you try to deny it. You bear the blood of kings and queens. The magic of Eos sings through your veins. Is there any reason you shouldn’t have the power to awaken the Gods?”

Ace is at loss of words. Struck speechless by the mere implication of the fact he has the ability, that his family, because no matter how he denies it Noctis and Regis are family still, has the ability to waken the Astrals from their slumber. He had thought that only the Oracle’s had such abilities, that only they could convene with the Astrals. But as he searches Ardyn’s eyes he can find no lie in them. Ace can think of no reason why Ardyn would lie about this.

Ace takes a deep breath in. “I take it Ramuh’s the cause of the storms then?”

“Indeed,” Ardyn says, gleaming eyes studying Ace from under his hat, “He calls to you with them. Can you not feel it?”

Ace thinks of the dream he had. Of the Just Judge leading him into the jungle; of how it wanted Ace to follow it.

Ace thinks of the Judge, thinks of how the storm has shown no sign of letting up and sighs. He doesn’t want to undergo a Trial. Ace doesn’t want to have to prove himself to a god of all things. But there’s something in the air, something tinged with ozone and cinder and magic and Ace knows that he’ll have to.

Besides, he can’t deny the use of having an Astral at his beck and call.

“I don’t suppose,” Ace says finally, “That you could teach me whatever you’re going to teach me before I face off against an Astral?”

Ardyn smirks. “Oh,” he says, “I plan too.”

There’s a flash of red light and Ardyn is suddenly holding Carly’s sword in his hand.

Ace feels his blood run cold. He remembers the last time he saw that sword; remembers how it had laid useless by his aunt’s side while she cradled her dead sister to her. Ace remembers not paying it any attention when he cremated his aunt and mother because what is the use of one sword?

He had regretted not taking it with him later, had regretted not taking his aunt’s sword with him. Ace had regretted it when Nyx had handed Ace a set of amethyst beads that used to belong to Katrina and Ace realized that he had nothing to remember his aunt by.

But now, here Ardyn is with the sword that had saved his aunt’s life countless times before Carly had been overwhelmed. Here Ardyn is with a sword that gleams as the lightning strikes and Ace-

Ace is at a loss for what to do.

“Why do you have that?” Ace asks, words thick and heavy against his tongue.

“I thought you could use some initiative,” Ardyn says, as though he isn’t holding a piece of Ace’s family history in his hands, “You can have the sword if you can put it into your armiger.”

“I don’t know how to access the armiger,” Ace says, tone almost pleading. His gaze still on the sword in Ardyn’s hand, “How am I supposed to do this?”

“Feel your magic,” Ardyn instructs, and for a moment Ace could almost say his voice is soft, “Feel your magic, let it wrap around the item you want in your armiger. Then pull it toward you, let your magic surround it and when you feel it tug on the item, let it.”

Ace focuses, his eyes on the sword in his uncle’s hand as he does what Ardyn instructs. Ace feels his magic, ozone and lightning and the moment between night and dawn and he reaches out, lets his magic wrap around the sword in Ardyn’s hands. The sword glows a royal purple and before Ace knows what he’s doing he’s pulling it toward him, following his instincts.

Following what his magic tells him to do.

Ardyn lets go of the sword as it glows royal purple and rises in the air, it turns, spins slowly and before Ace knows what’s happening it slams into his chest, causing Ace to stumble backward a few steps even as his aunt’s sword, his sword now, circles around him.

Ace blinks, shocked at the turn of events while Ardyn just looks smug.

“Congratulations, Prince of Lucis,” Ardyn croons, “You’ve just created your royal arm.”

Ace valiantly resists the urge to punch Ardyn and eyes the sword he just added to his collection as it fades away.

“Great,” Ace says, tone unsteady, “What now?”

“Now,” Ardyn says, “You face a god.”

* * *

Ardyn leaves Ace alone to face Ramuh. Citing that it’s Ace’s duty to face the Astral alone since Ace is the one that woke Ramuh.

Ace wants to call bullshit, but he can’t remember if Noctis fought Titan alone or not, so he can’t. Instead Ace spends an entire afternoon hauling himself deeper into the forest until he gets to a crossroads where the Just Judge awaits him.

Light shimmers around Ace’s hand as he summons his aunt’s sword to his hand.

There is no need for violence, the Judge says, voice echoing around them, I am here on behalf of the Fulgurian.

“Yeah?” Ace asks, “And what does the Fulgurian want?”

_There is a test_ , the Judge says again _If you wish for the storm to stop. Both roads will lead to him though each_ _has different paths. One is a path of heartache, the other the path of confrontation. Each will ruin you in one way or the other. Choose your path wisely._

Ace blinks and lets his sword fade.

He goes left.

As soon as Ace passes the Judge and steps deeper into the jungle the storm disappears. The jungle fades into a distant memory and the ground under his feet goes from undergrowth and dirt to the asphalt of city streets.

He tilts his head toward the sky and sees night around him. He sees the stars of his childhood, Orion and Cassiopeia. He sees the towering skyscrapers that made up the downtown of the city he spent his youth in. Ace sees snow and Christmas lights and he laughs as snow falls from the sky and lands on his cheek. He’s in a parka he knows, bright red complimenting his brown skin and dark air. It explains why he’s so warm despite the chill that blasts his cheeks.

Ace laughs and can’t remember why he’s here. Had he been gift shopping for his mother? But Katrina-

No, why does he think his mother’s name is Katrina? It isn’t. No matter how right that name feels, no matter how much it brings Ace memories of home and heart and sun bright days and mangoes fresh from the farm. That isn’t his mother’s name.

Why can’t he remember his mother’s name? He remembers snowy holidays. Snow well into April and the scatter snowfalls in the middle of May. Ace -is that his name?- remembers hams and turkey’s and his grandmother’s smile but-

Ace had never known his grandmother had he? He can’t remember. He doesn’t remember his mothers face, doesn’t remember his mothers name -Katrina Apollonian, a part of his mind whispers, You are her son- he can’t remember his grandmothers face or her name.

Why doesn’t this feel real? Why does it feel like it’s minus forty Celsius? Why does he feel so cold. Ace looks down and finds himself in a cotton jacket, a t-shirt and jeans and knee high boots. Why is he not dressed for the weather? He’s lived in chilly climates his entire life hasn’t he?

Ace looks up to the sky and sees storm clouds in the distance. He knows that he won’t survive the winter storm if he stays. Eyes darting down and scanning the streets he looks for a building, for something to shelter him from the storm.

The wind picks up, none of the buildings have doors or windows. They are towering structures of steel and concrete that have no openings. The once familiar, the once comforting reminders of his childhood are gone, replaced by a prison that seems to draw closer and closer. That seems to suffocate him with each passing second.

The clouds are directly above him now, casting darkness over everything. The wind is harsh and cruel. Ace shivers and he wants his mother.

_Which one?_

Ace blinks, a sudden clarity coming over him. Oh, he thinks, as he feels the familiar tug of his magic, oh.

_Which one?_

“Both,” Ace says to the howling winds, “Both.”

_You cannot have both._

“You cannot separate who I was from who I am,” Ace says aloud, “You can’t. Who I was shaped who I have become.”

Ace’s first mother had been named Mary. She was kind and loud and always, always, smiling. Katrina was different, more subtle in her joy but just as strong as Mary had been. Mary had shaped who Ace had been in his previous life, while Katrina and Carly had shaped who he had become.

Ace stares at the sky, resolve obvious in his gaze.

_What was your name?_ The sky asks.

“I don’t know,” Ace admits, his former name lost and gone, “But I am Ace Apollonian. Son of Mary and Katrina and Regis. And you will not take that from me.”

_Why bother claiming her? You cannot go back. Your former world is lost to the ages._

“That doesn’t matter,” Ace says, voice more confident than he feels, “What matters is that I am here. Alive. What matters is that as long as I remember even bits of what my former world was life it will live in me. What matters is that death helped shape me. That it helped make me into who I am today.”

_Why claim her?_

“Because she was my mother,” Ace says finally, “And I will not deny who I was before this.”

_You cannot go back._

_"I don't want to."_

The wind stills and the asphalt falls away beneath Ace’s feet.

* * *

Ace wakes to sunlight.

Ace wakes to sunlight and the feeling of his magic humming, of it dancing around him. Ace wakes to his magic thrumming through his veins, to a memory of Ramuh staring down at him, considering Ace before the Astral slammed his staff into the ground and Ace watched as his body arched off the ground in apparent agony before settling down again.

Ace wakes to what feels like another presence tied to his magic, and he blinks.

“What,” he coughs, “The fuck?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i was like, i could have a big fight scene here. OR i could make ace go through an identity crisis and weird reincarnation bullshit.
> 
> so i was like. lets do the second one because i suck at fight scenes. also ramuh strikes me as someone who is more about personal growth in his trials rather than outright fights.
> 
> anywho. hoped you enjoyed the schmoop this chapter brought! pls leave a review at the beep  
> *beep*


	9. la llorona (end act one)

Ace groans, the world spinning around him as he pushes himself to his feet. He had known that following Ardyn would lead to something happening but he hadn't thought that it would lead to a Trial of all things. He hadn't thought that he would be forced to confront his past, forced to admit that who he had been makes him who he now is.

Dying, Ace feels, should have been the end of his story, and yet he still has memories of snow and frost covered mornings. Still remembers the way skyscrapers gleamed in sun and the sound ice make as it cracked beneath his feet. It's insignificant, those memories, they mean nothing in the grand scheme of thing, will do nothing to help Ace keep his people alive and yet when Ace thinks of them he feels at peace.

He is who he is, there is no changing that. Death for him hadn't been the end, rather it had been a pause, a black spot in his memories.

A spot he has no desire to shine light on.

Some things, Ace thinks, aren't meant for mortal eyes.

Sighing, Ace turns his gaze skyward, letting the sun cast it's light on his face as he thinks of his mother. Of how the ache in his heart isn't for Mary, Mary who had raised him before he was Ace, but for Katrina. For the mother he saw dead and the aunt he saw clutching her body.

Ace thinks of his family, and it hurts.

He doesn't think it will ever stop hurting.

He could blame Ardyn for their deaths, but what use would that be? What use would it be to blame the man who warned Ace about the Empire's impending attack? Where it not for Ardyn then Ace wouldn't have survived.

If it weren't for Ardyn then Selena and Nyx and Libertus wouldn't have survived. Ace might owe Ardyn a debt, but he has no illusions as to why Ardyn would saved them. Ardyn thinks of Ace as a tool after all. A blade that can be used to strike at Lucis. And one needs to keep their blades sharp least they dull and turn on you.

Ace refuses to be Ardyn's blade. But that doesn't mean he will blame Ardyn for the deaths of his family. Ace knows who is behind the helm of the Imperial Machine after all, knows the Emperor is war hungry and vile.

If Iedolas wants a war, he'll get one.

A meow startles Ace out of his thoughts, jumping slightly, Ace turns his head to find a cat with purple eyes staring at him. Ace blinks, taking in how there seems to be an aura of magic about the cat, as though the cat itself is a herald of storm and thunder.

A Messenger, Ace thinks, taking stock of how his own magic has an electric taste that it hadn't had before.

It must have something to do with the trial.

"Hey," Ace greets the cat, "I don't suppose you know where Ardyn is?"

The cat's eyes sparkle and they take off toward the edge of the clearing before stopping and turning back to look at Ace. Beckoning him closer.

"Right," Ace says and tries not to think about how weird talking to a cat makes him, "I'm coming."

* * *

The cat leads him through the jungle, never leaving Ace's line of sight. All the while Ace is trying to get used to the storm that rolls underneath his skin. He tries to let his magic flow easily through his body as Ardyn had taught him in an attempt to disperse the energy that seems to thrum within him. It doesn't work, rather the energy seems to be sinking it's fangs into him. Melding with his magic and making it more.

Ace doesn't know how to feel about what's happening. Is this how a Covenant should feel? Does he even had a Covenant with Ramuh? Fuck, he's going to have to ask Ardyn about this, because for all the man is annoying, he is still the only one Ace has to ask about these things.

The cat, a large black thing with a white spot on its chest leads Ace into a familiar clearing. It's the same clearing Ace last saw Ardyn in and lo and behold, Ardyn is there, waiting for Ace's return with a smirk on his face.

Ace scowls.

Ardyn chuckles and strides forward.

"Why, nephew!" Ardyn says and Ace rolls his eyes, "It seems you were successful. The Stormsender has ceased his incessant wailing for your attention and the sun shines again."

"Yeah," Ace says, crossing his arms over his chest, "You made it seem like I was going in for a fight. Not... whatever that was."

Ardyn's brow raises.

"Did the Fulgarian not descend from the heavens to test your sword arm? Pity, I would have enjoyed seeing how you would have fared in a battle of warriors."

"Too bad for you then that he gave me a Trial instead."

Ardyn's eyes gleam.

"Oh?" he asks, "And what sort of Trial was it?"

Ace thinks of his death. He thinks of Mary and his life before this. He thinks of how snow has turned to green grass and vines, he thinks of the differences between this life and his last.

Ace breathes in deeply, tasting the rain soaked earth on his tongue. The energy inside him seems to settle at that.

Ace exhales, and looks Ardyn in the eyes. A part of Ace wants to tell Ardyn about what happened, wants to know Ardyn's opinion on what happened, on why Ace was given a Trial instead of a fight. And while Ace isn't sure why he wants to let Ardyn know what happened, he squashes the words before they can leave his throat.

"Does it matter?" Ace says instead, "I passed. At least, I'm pretty sure I did."

"Oh, nephew," Ardyn says, his voice dark as his gaze turns to Ace's right arm, "There's little doubt that you now bare the Stormsender's mark."

"What are you-" Ace stops and as he turns his gaze toward the arm Ardyn is looking at. "-Oh."

There on his arm is a scar, slightly darker than the tawny brown of his own skin it travels up his arm and disappears under the sleeve of his t-shirt.

It hadn't been there before. The fact it's shaped as a lightning bolt with various branches following the curve of his arm make it more damning.

How is he going to explain this to Selena and Libertus? How is he going to explain this to Nyx? The scars mark him as Twice-born, as someone who has walked two lifetimes. It isn't something he can hide from his friends. From his family. Panic slowly wells up within Ace and he forces it back down.

Twice-born are known to exist, and there are theories out there that there are those who remember their past lives who had not been chosen by Ramuh and Ace had hardly paid attention to those tales because he thought that he was one of those. That he hadn’t garnered divine attention.

Turns out he was wrong.

"I hope you know," Ace says slowly lifting his face to look at Ardyn, "That I'm blaming you for this."

"Why, my dear Aether you wound me."

"That's not my name."

"Mmh, but it could be. After all, one of our blood deserves a name suited for royalty."

"That doesn't give you the right to name me," Ace says, scowl deepening.

Ardyn doesn't answer, but there's a dark amusement in his eyes that elicits a sound of frustration from Ace.

"Whatever," Ace says, "I'm leaving."

As Ace turns to leave he feels something brush up against him. Looking down he spies the cat.

"You can't come with me," he tells it firmly, "The hotel doesn't allow animals."

The cat meows again.

Ace walks away.

"Oh and Aether," Ardyn calls as Ace picks up speed, "Happy birthday."

Ace curses loudly.

Ardyn laughs.

* * *

Nyx is worried. It's been two days since Ace had left with his uncle, the Chancellor of Niflheim, and he still hasn't returned. It's not as though Nyx doesn't trust Ace. He's trusts that Ace will do his damnedest to come back to their makeshift family. He trusts that Ace would fight and kill for them if needed. Nyx trusts Ace more than he trusts himself sometimes.

Ace has always been there for Nyx, and Nyx has always tried to there for Ace. Nyx trusts Ace. That much is certain.

It's Ardyn Nyx doesn't trust. Because despite the years that he’s known Ardyn, Ardyn is still Niflheim's Chancellor, Ardyn who for some reason warned them of the attack on their town and saved Ace. Nyx would say affection prompted Ardyn to warn the town that his only nephew (as far as Nyx knows) lived in of an impending invasion but Ardyn is part of the Empire.

Nyx knows better than to trust anyone who claims royalty to the Empire.

He chances a glance outside, the storms had stopped a while ago and now Nyx debates going to look for his boyfriend. Ace had left in a hurry, grabbing his staff, the staff that Ardyn apparently gave him, and shrugging on a jacket before leaving.

Ace had said he'd be back by nightfall that day.

It's been two days since then, and Ace still isn't back.

"We should look for him," Selena says, standing suddenly, "I don't like waiting. What if something happened? What if Ardyn did something to him?"

Nyx feels cold dread steep into his bones at Selena's words, he had tried to stop that very same idea from crossing his mind. Ardyn is Ace's family after all, that must count for something. But Selena's words remind Nyx of the mindless cruelty of the Empire and Nyx worries.

Libertus and Nyx share a look.

"You're right," Nyx says, standing as well, "I trust Ace but I don't trust Ardyn. We should look for Ace."

"And where do we start?" Libertus asks, "Not many know who Ace is. Even fewer know the fact that Ardyn is his uncle; and if we go around asking anyone if they've seen Niflheim's Chancellor we'll paint targets on our backs."

"So you want to do nothing?" Selena asks, incredulous, "You want to do nothing while our brother could be hurt or dying?"

"Of course I want to look!" Libertus snaps, "But we have to think of the risks before we decide what to do! He's as much my brother as he is yours and we all know that he wouldn't want us to put ourselves in danger just because he's missing."

"Ace would want us to be safe," Nyx agrees, "But-" I can't stay here while he could be in danger, he thinks to himself, mind going back to the meeting he had with the Judge years ago, I can't stand by and do nothing.

Perhaps meeting the Judge made him more reckless, perhaps it changed him in a subtle way; Nyx doesn't know, doesn't care to figure out what happened when the Judge took him. All he remembers is feeling helpless as he watched his friends and sister die. All he remembers is seeing Ace and Libertus die for him and being asked simple questions that rendered him speechless.

What use is a Shield that cannot defend? A Sword that cannot cut? What use is a warrior that cannot defend his own?

Nyx had had no answers for the Judge then, and the Messenger had seemed disappointed, disgusted almost. Nyx had thought he was going to die but then Ace's voice rang out in the darkness, demanding that Nyx be released and Nyx had known then that he would follow that voice to the end of the world.

Ace's voice had been firm, possessive almost as he challenged the Judge for the right to judge Nyx. Ace had sounded like a king almost, passing law into motion.

Nyx had fought the Judge then, had fought and bled and yet when he had come out of the shadows there were no marks on him. The fight had been worth it, Nyx remembers thinking, just to see Libertus and Ace look at him like a part of them had snapped back into place.

Nyx thinks he knows the answer to the questions the Judge posed now. A Shield that cannot defend is a liability, a sword that cannot cut may as well be a traitor.

A warrior that cannot defend his own may as well be useless.

There is nothing Nyx hates more than being useless, than being unable to defend his own.

Nyx takes a deep breath in, attempting to quell the urge to go and find Ace. To demand answers from Ardyn. Nyx knows that he's protective, that he would be called possessive by some but-

Ace is one of the few people Nyx can call his own, and Nyx will not let Ace go unless Ace demands it.

"Nyx," Libertus says, voice calm, "Give it another day. If he's not here by dawn we'll go looking."

Nyx bites his bottom lip. He wants to find Ace now but he understands Libertus' reasoning. It wouldn't do to just go out and ask around without a solid plan.

Nyx shares a glance with Selena; she's just as happy as Nyx is but nods anyway.

"Fine," Nyx says, "But at first light, we start looking."

* * *

Ace stumbles into their hotel room ten minutes after six in the evening. His hand has come undone of the braid Nyx had last seen it in. His eyes are narrowed, as though he's displeased with something and before either Nyx or Selena can ask what happened their attention is caught by the torn sleeve of Ace's jacket. For a moment Nyx wonders what happened to the jacket, then his eyes catch the sight of the new scars that litter Ace's arm and he freezes; his tongue turning to lead in his mouth. The scars Ace bares now familiar; not in a way where one has seen something before; rather, they are familiar in a way where one sees something described and knows what it looks like instantly.

Ace's scars are intersecting bolts of lightning running up his arm, the scars a shade lighter than the tawny brown of Ace's skin. Nyx wonders where Ace had gotten them.

Nyx wonders what Ace remembers of his past life.

"Ace," Libertus says, voice faintly hysterical, "Ace what the fuck are those?"

Ace freezes where he is, as though he's been caught doing something he shouldn't have and Nyx wants to laugh.

"Uh," Ace says, "What are you talking about Lib?"

Libertus makes a frustrated noise. "Your arm," he says, "What happened?"

Ace shifts on his feet; eyes darting everywhere except the eyes of the others in the room. He's nervous, Nyx thinks, heart sinking to his stomach, What if Ace is different now? Those who are Twice-born are rare, and there are times where once one regains their memories they are different people.

Nyx loves the Ace he knows, but is he able to love the Twice-born Ace in front of him?

Ace is quiet for a moment. "Well," he says finally, "I underwent a Trial."

"And got memories of your past life back?" Selena huffs, eyes narrowed in a glare.

Ace winces. "No, not exactly."

"Ace," Nyx says, voice as calm as it can be, "Ace, what do you mean?"

Ace looks guilty, ashamed as though he's been hiding something from everyone and it's just now coming to life.

"Well," Ace says, "I've had the memories of...my previous life since I was nine."

The room is silent for a long moment, no one dares breath, dares to be the first to say something.

Then Selena laughs. "Oh," she says, "Damn that explains a lot! You were always weird Ace, now we know it's because you're like eighty."

A smile breaks over Ace's face like the sunrise over a mountain and Nyx's breath catches. "I died when I was in my twenties!" Ace laughs, "I'm not that old!"

Libertus and Nyx share a look. They've known Ace this long, him having lived through another life just means he has more experience than the rest of them. And Nyx will admit to feeling no small amount of relief that his boyfriend hasn't undergone a complete personality shift.

Nyx wonders how far Ace's experience extends and then slams that thought to the back of his mind. Now is not the time.

"So," Libertus says, "You know anything interesting from your past life?"

"I was a college student," Ace says, his shoulders relax as Nyx steps forward and wraps an arm around him, "I have an approximate knowledge of many things."

Nyx laughs at that. "I'm sure you do," he says, voice close to Ace's ear. Selena makes a disgusted noise as Ace flushes a lovely pink.

"Guys," Libertus whines, "Not now. Please not now?"

Nyx ignores him and presses a kiss to Ace's temple. A smile crosses Ace's lips and he shakes his head.

"Sap," Ace accuses him.

"Your sap," Nyx says cheerfully.

Selena interrupts the moment. "So I'm taking the storms were Ramuh summoning you for your Trial?"

Ace grimaces and pulls away from Nyx to go sit on the bed by Selena. "Yeah," he says, "That's what uncle thought anyway, so he brought me to the Stormsender where I faced my past life."

"And?" Selena presses. Ace raises an unimpressed eyebrow at her and Nyx almost laughs. "What? You can't blame a girl for being curious! I thought Ramuh was sleeping!"

"He was," Ace says, "Apparently Niflheim woke him up."

Libertus barks a laugh. "Bet the old man is pissed."

Ace grins. "I know I would be."

* * *

Ace dozes, his head resting against Nyx's chest. Listening to his boyfriend breath is calming; it helps Ace collect his thoughts. He hadn't expected the reveal of his status of Twice-born to go over so well. It makes him wonder if he should tell them the truth about who his father is.

He considers it seriously for the first time in years. He considers it, and remembers that were he to acknowledge his parentage there would be those who would seek to hurt what is his.

He can't allow anyone to hurt his people.

He can't.

Ace buries his face in the crook of Nyx's neck and keeps his secrets to himself.

* * *

A few days after Ace returns Libertus takes him and Nyx to a bar. Ace had missed his birthday after all, and it's only right to celebrate it still; Ace had turned eighteen and is now once again the same age as Nyx and Libertus.

He's also finally allowed to have alcohol and may have indulged in one too many fruity drinks. He's tipsy, laughing at something Libertus had said while the three of them make their way back to their hotel that may as well have become a second home. It's nice, Ace thinks, having time to spend with his friends like this. He misses the days when the three of them didn't have a care in the world, misses the days where they could laugh freely without the burden of war on their shoulders.

Perhaps Ace is a bit melancholy tonight. Perhaps he merely wants to suspend moments in which they are happy together in time so that they may always remember what it is life to be happy.

Ace doesn't want tragedy to come, but he feels like it will.

Just as that thought passes him, a scream splits the air open, Ace stumbles as he's pushed behind Libertus and Nyx. Automatically, the three of them scan the area for any sign of danger.

They find nothing, but a figure in white steps out from behind an alley, her clothing wet, dripping puddles onto the ground.

She meets Ace's gaze and screams again.

Ace doubles over, clutching his head as words attempt to sear themselves into his brain. Despite that Ace can't make heads or tails of what the words mean. They aren't spoke in any language Ardyn had forced him to study, they aren't any known language that Ace can think of of and yet they feel like shards of ice being slammed into his head.

Ace doesn't realize he's on his knees until Libertus kneels next to him.

"You okay, brother?" Libertus asks as the wailing finally leaves, "She had a nasty voice huh?"

"Yeah," Ace manages to get out, "And I had too much to drink."

Nyx laughs, but Ace can hear the concern behind it. "Let's get you back," he says, "I'll make sure we don't wind up encountering any more creepy ladies."

None of them say her name, yet all of them know it.

* * *

Ace wakes up with the knowledge that something is wrong. That something awful is coming. It feels like there is a storm in his ears and thunder slamming against his skull warning him of invaders, of intruders, of someone coming to claim land that doesn't belong to them.

Ace jerks upright and stumbles to the bathroom, looking in the bathroom mirror he blinks. His eyes are a vibrant, glowing purple. They flash once, then twice, before fading back to their normal silver.

He feels something static in the air and knows that it's not coming from him. A meow startles Ace out of his thoughts, his eyes dart to the floor where they find the cat that had left him shortly after Ace had arrived in the port city again.

"You," Ace rasps, his heart beating fast, "What's going on?"

The cat looks at him, wide violet eyes curious. The cat looks at him and Ace sees death in those eyes; his heart jumps to his throat and before he can register what he's doing he's pulling on clothing and shaking the others awake.

"Selena," Ace hisses, "We need to wake the others-" He doesn't get to finish the sentence before a bomb drops and startles the others awake. Ace's heart sinks in his throat, he remembers the first bombs dropping on his town, remembers neighbourhoods going up in flame and he's frozen for a moment before Libertus shakes him.

"Ace! Get it together! We gotta go."

Ace blinks rapidly, banishing the images to the back of his mind even as his panic mounts. He grabs his go bag -they all keep one because they knew something like this would happen- and rushes with the others out the door and down the stairs.

Ace's grip on his Carly's sword is tight as they round the corner to the lobby and nearly collide with Luche and Tredd.

"Luche!" Ace gasps, "Do you know if the boats-"

"The boats are already boarding," Luche confirms, "We just have to find one to take us to the Mainland." A scream cuts through the air and Ace's grip on his Aunt's sword tightens so his knuckles are white. The docks will be crowded he knows, the ships will be even more crowded and the chances of getting on one in this way are slim.

"Any recommendations?" Nyx asks dryly, his eyes darting from windows to doors to make sure no one comes through.

"Force our way on," Tredd says, "It beats dying here."

No one argues with that.

When they make it outside, saying that its chaos would be putting it mildly. People are knocking each other over, trampling each other as they try to get out of the city before it falls to Imperials.

They'd rather face daemons than be forced to live under a tyrant, a sentiment Ace can only agree with. A bomb drops a few blocks away and Ace flinches at the noise. His eyes dart to the sky just in time to see an Imperial dropship open and daemons and MTs pour out.

Ace swears, loudly and vigorously, a sentiment that is echoed by his fellows and he draws his sword.

He tries not to think about how his hands shake, of how he remembers his neighbours slaughtered in the streets. He throws his panic to the back of his mind and fights.

Ace cuts his way through enemy after enemy. Daemons and MT's alike coming toward him like lambs to the slaughter. In the distance, he can hear the shot of two guns going off and hopes Selena and Tredd are alright. He knows both of them can handle their own but that doesn't stop him from worrying.

A hiss of pain comes from behind him and Ace whirls around to find Selena clutching her arm where a shot from a sniper grazed it. Rage boils in his blood and for a moment the port city becomes his hometown and Selen lays dying.

Ace blinks, and the scene changes until he's staring at the ruins of the port he and his had claimed as theirs after the fall of their town. He stares at the people running from MTs and burning buildings. He stares, frozen in spot and his mind goes back to his mother, dead in his aunt's arms.

He thinks of the night his town fell, of how he was willing to die.

Ace blinks, resolve hardening. Selena is injured in front of him and Ace will not allow her to die.

Reality shivers and Ace's blood calls for a storm. Rain pours from the sky like rocks, lightning strikes in the distance and for a moment Ace can swear he sees Glauca staring at him from across the street. For a moment the rage in Ace's veins boils over and all it takes is from him to raise a hand and let his magic permeate the air around him.

All it takes is his strength and Ramuh descends from the sky, bringing with him the smell of rain and jungle rot. Soon enough the smell of charred bodies reaches Ace’s nose as Ramuh strikes down MT and human soldier alike.

Ace helps Selena to her feet, and despite the land screaming at him, yelling at him to stay he leads them to one of the boats still at port. Ace gets them on somehow and he stares at the sky for a moment and Ramuh meets his gaze.

I'll be back, Ace promises, I swear it.

* * *

Ace dreams. He dreams of dragons and prophecies and curses. He dreams of blood and death and a rising tide and he wakes to the sound of the ship groaning and Selena nowhere in sight.

Muffling a yawn with his hand, Ace stands from where he had been sleeping in the corner of the ship and leaves the room he shares with Luche, Selena and a few others. It’s a miracle that the ship they’re on is even working, it had been out of commission for a few years until Niflheim started making their move and the people of the port where it had resided had decided that they needed all the ships they could get in case something happened.

Luche and Libertus had helped to get this ship in working order, Ace remembers before tossing the thought of Libertus away. Neither he nor Selena or Luche know if their friends live or if they even got on a boat bound for the mainland.

For once, Ace hopes with everything he has that this goes according to his memories and that Libertus and Nyx and Tredd are alive.

He needs them to be alive. Needs his brothers and his lover to live. Home is where the heart is and Ace’s home has always been with his people. He had followed and stayed with Nyx and the others because they are his people and if anything were to happen to them Ace doesn’t know what he would do.

It hurts being separated from people he’s known most of his life. Hurts in a way that he’s not used to, it’s as though someone had hollowed out a part of him and left it like that.

He hates it.

Ace finds Selena on the top deck, he hands clutching the rails as she looks out to sea.

“Do you think they’re alive?” she asks, quietly, her eyes older than they should be. Ace’s mouth goes dry at her question. He wants to reassure her, to tell her that nothing could keep their family down for long but he knows Selena wouldn’t appreciate lies. No matter how well-intentioned.

“I don’t know,” Ace answers truthfully, “But I know it would take a hell of a lot to stop them from seeing you again.”

Selena laughs, tears coming to her eyes. “Yeah,” she says, “They are stubborn fools aren’t they?”

Ace comes to stand beside her and draws her into a one-armed hug.

“The most very stubborn,” Ace agrees and tries to ignore how his voice shakes, “We’ll see them again if their stubbornness has anything to say about it.”

Selena clings to him like a child clings to their brother after a nightmare and Ace hums for her. The vibration of the notes causing Selena to relax.

“Ace,” Selena says, “Please don’t leave me.”

“You’re my sister, Selena. I’d never leave you.”

* * *

Luche finds Ace sometime after he leaves Selena.

“Do you think Tredd is alright?” Luche asks, “He’s a kid and a spitfire and I-” Ace’s heart aches as Luche searches for words to describe what he’s feelings.

“You worry for him,” Ace says, “He’s like your brother.”

“Yeah.”

“If he’s anything like you, I’m sure you two will meet again.”

* * *

They dock just as another ship heads out to sea. Selena and Luche automatically start scanning the area for people they know while Ace looks for potential threats. He hasn’t seen any since they took to sea but it never hurts to be too careful.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Ace sees Selena take off running. Spinning on his heels, he ignores Luche’s cries to stop and follows Selena as she slams into the body of her brother.

Nyx, Ace thinks, heart lighter than it has ever been, Nyx. Ace watches as the siblings hug each other and can’t stop the grin from spreading on his face as he sees Nyx pick Selena up and swing her around.

“Ace?” a familiar voice questions and Ace wastes no time in turning and launching himself onto Libertus. Ace’s family is okay. They’re alive and together and Ace can’t help the laughter that spills out of him.

“Lib,” Ace gasps as Libertus catches him, “You’re alive.”

“Yeah,” Libertus says, choking back tears, “So are you.” Ace feels tears welling up in his eyes and slaps Libertus' arm to get the man to put him down. Once on the ground Ace uses his sleeves to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"You guys ae alive," Ace stresses again, "I had thought-"

"I know," Libertus says, voice strained, "I know."

"We're all here now though, that's what matters."

Libertus nods and drags Ace back into another hug.

"I missed you," Libertus muttered, "You're like my brother Ace. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

"Something rash and terrible," Ace jokes.

"Probably," Libertus agrees before letting Ace go again.

Ace suddenly feels a presence at his back and whirls around to see Nyx there, staring at Ace with wide eyes as his sister goes and greets Libertus.

Nyx reaches out a hand and strokes Ace's cheek like he's afriad Ace is going to disappear.

"I thought you were dead," Nyx said, "I couldn't find you and-"

"I'm alive," Ace says, covering Nyx's hand with his own, "I'm alive, and we're all going to get through this together."

"Yeah," Nyx says, letting out a deep breath, "Together."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MER CHRISTMAS.  
> HAP HOLIDAYS.  
> MAY U BE HAPPY IN THE NEW YEAR AND MAY IT BE FILLED WITH GOOD THINGS FOR YOU.  
> HAVE A CHAPTER. THIS IS YOUR CHIRSTMAS GIFT. MUCH LOVE FROM THE SPARKLIE MOOSE.


End file.
